Five Minute Major

*Photo from the Raleigh News and Observer*     Forward Martin Necas and the Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a two year, $13 million contract, according to an announcement by the team.    Necas came into the offseason as an RFA with arbitration rights, and a hearing was scheduled to determine a contract for next season. He had been the subject of trade rumors all offseason to this point, but he'll be in Raleigh for another two years. He'll make $6.5 million annually for the next two seasons and can become a UFA after the 2025-2026 season.    Last season was another successful year for Necas. He ended the season with 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points, posting a -9 rating while averaging 17:21 of ice time per game across 77 regular season games. He added 4 goals and 5 assists in 11 playoff games.    Carolina GM Eric Tulsky said of signing Necas in a statement "Martin is an immensely skilled player who provides a scoring threat whenever the puck is on his stick. He will

*Photo from Hockey Wilderness*    Defenseman Brock Faber has signed an 8 year, $68 million contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, the team announced Monday afternoon.    Last season was Faber's rookie year after playing in just two games the season prior. He picked up 8 goals and 39 assists for 47 points, averaging a whopping 24:58 of ice time per game while playing in all 82 games for the Wild, who missed the playoffs.    Minnesota GM Bill Guerin said of the extension "When you're sitting in my chair, and all the hockey ops group talked about these things, it's extremely important to identify who you think is going to be a part of your foundation going forward. It's a no-brainer that Brock is going to be one of those guys and we wanted to lock him up. This is about winning. This is about giving us the best chance to win the Stanley Cup and locking up good young players with mature games who are dedicated to the team, think about the team first. That's wha

*Photo from Sportsnet*     According to a team announcement, the Columbus Blue Jackets and RW Kirill Marchenko have agreed to a 3 year, $11.5 million contract.    Marchenko's entry level contract with the Blue Jackets expired at the end of the season, making him a restricted free agent when the new league year began July 1. His new contract pays him $3.85 million annually through the end of the 2026-2027 season, his age 26 season. He'll still have RFA eligibility when this deal expires.    Last season was Marchenko's second year in the NHL, where he had a strong offensive campaign. He set career highs in goals, assists, and points with 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points, averaging 16:25 of ice time per game with a career best -5 rating in 78 games, another career best.    A former second round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2018, Marchenko has been a reliable goal scorer in his two NHL seasons. He's exceeded 20 goals in both years and finished in the top 10 in voting fo

*Photo from 1st Ohio Battery*    Forward Kent Johnson has signed a 3 year, $5.4 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to an announcement by the team.    When the new league year began July 1, Johnson became a restricted free agent as his entry level contract expired. After his season was cut short due to shoulder surgery, Johnson will make $1.8 million annually on his new deal. He'll be an RFA again when this deal expires after the 2026-2027 season.    Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said in a statement "Kent Johnson is an exciting young player with tremendous upside, and we are happy that he will continue to grow and develop as a Blue Jacket. He is just beginning to scratch the surface of what he can be as a player, and we believe he will be a very important part of our hockey club moving forward."    Last season, Johnson was limited to 42 games in the NHL, as he played in the AHL briefly before suffering a season ending injury. In those 42 NHL games, he

*Photo from the New York Times*     Forward Travis Konecny and the Philadelphia Flyers have agreed to an 8 year, $70 million contract extension, according to an announcement by the team.    Philadelphia GM Daniel Briere said "Travis Konecny is an integral part of the fabric of our team and we are thrilled to have him under contract for the long-term. Travis has grown into a significant leader on our team and he truly embodies what it means to be a Flyer. His work ethic, combined with his tenacity and talent makes him a central figure for what we are building towards, and his determination for our future success speaks volumes about his commitment to our team and city."    Last season, Konecny set career highs in goals and points. He notched 33 goals and added 35 assists for 68 points, averaging 19:50 of ice time per game while posting a +4 rating over the course of 76 games for the Flyers, who narrowly missed the playoffs.    Konecny, who became eligible to sign an extension

*Photo from ESPN*     The Edmonton Oilers have hired Stan Bowman as the franchise's next GM, according to an announcement by the Oilers.    Bowman resigned as president and GM of the Chicago Blackhawks in October 21 following the results of an investigation into sexual assault by a Blackhawks staff member on a player during the team's playoff run in 2010 that ended with them winning a Stanley Cup. He was suspended indefinitely by the NHL before being reinstated July 1.    The investigation revealed that Bowman and other members of the Blackhawks front office were informed that then video coach Brad Aldrich had sexually assaulted a player on the team, but the organization did nothing about it for over a month, with no action taken until after they won the Stanley Cup.    The player was revealed to be Kyle Beach, a former prospect of the team who never ended up playing a game in the NHL. Bowman said he informed Beach the Oilers were hiring him over the phone prior to the announce

*Photo from Buffalo Hockey Beat*     Goalie number one is sticking around for a while. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and the Buffalo Sabres have agreed to a 5 year, $23.75 million contract, according to an announcement by the Sabres on Wednesday.    Luukkonen entered the offseason as an RFA with arbitration rights and filed for arbitration early in July. With a hearing scheduled, the Sabres were able to avoid one with this contract coming off a breakout year for the Finnish goalie.    The contract begins this season and pays Luukkonen $4.75 million annually through the end of the 2028-2029 season. Luukkonen also gets a modified no trade clause in the final 3 years of the contract in the form of a 5 team no trade list each year. Luukkonen is set to become a UFA when his contract expires.    Chosen by the Sabres in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Luukkonen was initially viewed as the Sabres goalie of the future before going through struggles in his first few seasons. After the team

*Photo from the Washington Post*     LW Beck Malenstyn and the Buffalo Sabres have agreed to a two year, $2.7 million contract, according to an announcement by the Sabres on Tuesday.    The contract avoids an arbitration hearing between the two sides after the Sabres acquired Malenstyn in a trade in June. He had filed for arbitration as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. His new deal will pay him $1.35 million annually and take him through the end of the 2025-2026 season, where he'll once again be an RFA.    Last season, Malenstyn blossomed in his first full NHL season with the Washington Capitals. He scored 6 goals and added 15 assists for 21 points, averaging 14:15 of ice time per game while posting a -1 rating in 81 games. He went without a point in 4 playoff games.    In his first full season, Malenstyn also made his presence known without the puck. He dished out 241 hits to lead all Capitals skaters and added 93 blocked shots, the most by a Capitals forward. He&#

*Photo from Live Wire Calgary*     The Calgary Flames on Monday had the groundbreaking ceremony and officially started construction in downtown Calgary on their new arena.    The new arena, which will be known as Scotia Place, will be constructed as part of plans that include building a new entertainment district in Calgary that includes the arena. The project was agreed to in April of 2023, not long after the Flames signed a 35 year contract with Calgary and the province of Alberta to prevent the team from moving.    Capacity of the new arena will be 18,400 and the arena is scheduled to be completed in time for the start of the 2027-2028 season. Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation and the city of Calgary unveiled renderings of the stadium.    Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta, said "Calgary is a city for all seasons, and projects like this one give even more people even more reasons to experience its vibrancy 365 days a year. Once the revitalization is complete, Calgar

*Photo from NHL.com*     There's a new head man in town. The Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Dean Evason as the franchise's next head coach, according to an announcement by the team Monday afternoon.    Columbus president and GM Don Waddell said in a statement "Dean Evason brings to coaching what he brought as a player; passion, hard work and tenacity, and I couldn’t be happier that he will serve as the next head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has spent well over two decades in this league as a player, assistant coach and head coach and I believe that experience, combined with the outstanding person he is, will allow Dean to get the best out of our players and put us in a position to succeed as a team."    It took a long time for the Blue Jackets to find their head coach, but they've got one. Evason replaces Pascal Vincent as head coach in Columbus, who was fired in June after one season as head coach. Columbus went 27-43-12 in Vincent's one season as

*Photo from the New York Times*     Another forward is off the free agent board. The Vancouver Canucks and RW Daniel Sprong have agreed to a one year, $975,000 contract, according to Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Sun. The Canucks have confirmed the addition.    Entering his age 27 season this year, Sprong will be playing for the 6th different team in his career and 4th in as many seasons. Sprong was one of the best remaining free agent forwards available, and the Canucks were able to snag him on an inexpensive contract.    Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin said in a statement "Bringing in another solid winger will be a boost for our club this season. Daniel has matured a lot as a player and has shown he can contribute offensively when called upon. His addition up front will give us better depth and should help with more balanced scoring throughout our forward group."    Last season, Sprong was on a one year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He had a productive season, scoring

*Photo from WTOP*     Free agency opened on July 1, and teams have combined to spend well over a billion dollars on free agents with the idea of improving their team in the short and long term. Whether a team is pushing for a Stanley Cup or in the middle of a rebuild, free agency always brings a lot of moving and shaking leaguewide.    Despite the fact that tons of players are changing teams, there are still players who are without a team as of July 20 that don't have a team just yet. With so many quality players left, here is a full 23 man roster of the best remaining unrestricted free agents. FORWARDS Max Pacioretty - Mike Hoffman - Blake Wheeler Dominik Kubalik - Tyler Johnson - Kailer Yamamoto James van Riemsdyk - Nick Cousins - Filip Zadina Jakub Vrana - Kyle Okposo - Daniel Sprong Alex Nylander The free agent class is a little light on centers at this point, hence why Okposo is the 4th line center instead of on the wing. There are still reliable scorers in this lineup, mainly

*Photo from KO Sports*     More scoring is heading to Northern Canada. Forward Viktor Arvidsson and the Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a two year, $8 million contract, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Edmonton has confirmed the deal.    Arvidsson was limited heavily by a back injury last season, as he didn't play until February 15 due to the injury. Playing for the Los Angeles Kings for the 3rd season, Arvidsson had 6 goals and 9 assists in 18 games. He had no goals and 3 assists in 5 playoff games.    When Arvidsson was healthy in 2022-2023 with the Kings, he had a productive year, falling two points short of his career high. He had 26 goals and a career high 33 assists for 59 points, averaging 17:06 of ice time in 77 regular season games. He had one goal and 6 assists across 6 playoff games that year.    Chosen in the 4th round of the 2014 NHL draft by the Nashville Predators, Arvidsson gets a two year deal that pays him $4 million annually with the Oilers as they

*Photo from St. Louis Game Time*     Left wing Pavel Buchnevich and the St. Louis Blues have agreed to a 6 year, $48 million contract extension, according to an announcement by the Blues.    In 2024-2025, Buchnevich will make $5.8 million with a no trade clause in the last year of his current deal. The new deal starts in 2025-2026 and pays him $8 million annually with a full no trade clause for the first 4 years. He has a modified no trade clause in the form of a 20 team no trade list in year 5 and a 15 team no trade list in the last year.    St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong said of the extension "Our goal is to have the players maximize their prime, and I think Buch can do this, but the actuary tables say not everyone does it. So you're looking out moving forward, and I just think that's just the cost of doing business in today's NHL."    Last season, Buchnevich had another productive campaign for the Blues. He had 27 goals and 36 assists to his name for 63 points, av

*Photo from The Hockey News*     Another playoff performer is back in the fold. The Florida Panthers and forward Anton Lundell have agreed to a 6 year, $30 million contract, according to an announcement by the Panthers.    Lundell became an RFA when the new league year started July 1, and the Panthers were able to lock him up with a deal that pays him $5 million annually through the end of the 2029-2030 season, when he can become a UFA. For this season, he gets a $2.5 million signing bonus.    Entering the playoffs after a solid regular season, Lundell became a key contributor for the Panthers, as he was tied with Carter Verhaeghe for the most 5 on 5 points by a Panthers skater in the playoffs with 13. The signing does put them slightly over the cap, but they don't have to be cap compliant until opening night.    Lundell enjoyed a productive season for the Panthers in a contract year last season. He potted 13 goals and added 22 assists for 35 points, averaging 15:23 of ice time per

*Photo from The Hockey News*     Free agent right wing Vladimir Tarasenko and the Detroit Red Wings have agreed to a two year, $9.5 million contract, according to an announcement by the team.    Tarasenko is fresh off winning his second Stanley Cup as he helped the Panthers hoist the trophy just before the draft began and free agency opened. It was his second Stanley Cup title in 5 years after winning with the St. Louis Blues in 2018-2019, the first title in team history.    After being traded twice and playing for 4 different teams across the last two years, Tarasenko gets a little bit of security in his deal with the Red Wings. He'll make $4.75 million annually and has a full no trade clause in the first year. He has a modified no trade clause for year two in the form of an 8 team trade list.    Last season, Tarasenko suited up for the Ottawa Senators to open the year before being dealt to the Panthers. He combined to score 23 goals and add 32 assists, averaging 15:44 of ice time

*Photo from Expected Buffalo*     More scoring power going to oil country. The Edmonton Oilers and forward Jeff Skinner have agreed to a one year, $3 million contract, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The Oilers have made the signing official.    Last season, Skinner had a solid yet unspectacular season for the Buffalo Sabres, his 6th year in Buffalo. He potted 24 goals and added 22 assists for 46 points, averaging 16 minutes of ice time per game while recording a -2 rating in 74 games.    It didn't stop the Sabres from buying out the final 3 years of his contract just before free agency opened, allowing Skinner to hit the open market. He was making $9 million per season with the Sabres in his previous contract. The Sabres got an extra $7.55 million in cap space for the coming season but will have to pay Skinner almost $15 million of the $22 million left in his contract for 6 years.    The buyout came as the Sabres are transitioning again, having fired Don Granato as

*Photo from Reuters*     Here comes an upgrade down the middle. The Seattle Kraken and C Chandler Stephenson have agreed to a 7 year, $43.75 million contract, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The Kraken have confirmed the addition.    Stephenson's contract is a big one with the Kraken as he enters his age 30 season. He gets $6 million as a signing bonus while making $6.25 million annually. He gets a full no movement clause for the first 4 years of his contract and a modified no trade clause for the final 3 years in the form of a 10 team no trade list.    Last season was another productive year for Stephenson, his 4th full year with the Vegas Golden Knights. He racked up 16 goals and added 35 assists for 51 points, notching a -9 rating while averaging 18:29 of ice time in 75 games. He had no goals and one assist in 7 playoff games.    Seattle GM Ron Francis said of adding Stephenson that "In Stephenson, just a really good two-way guy, plays with pace, has a sne

*Photo from The Hockey Writers*     One player is back at mile high. The Colorado Avalanche and forward Jonathan Drouin have agreed to a one year, $2.5 million contract extension, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Colorado has announced the signing.    Having signed with the Avalanche after having trouble scoring goals with the Montreal Canadiens, Drouin enjoyed a revival of a season. After making $825,000 last season, he gets a pay raise up to $2.5 million for another year before being able to test the open market again. He'll turn 30 towards the end of the coming season.    Drouin had the best offensive season of his career donning an Avalanche uniform last season. He scored 19 goals and added a career high 37 assists for a career high 56 points, averaging 18:11 of ice time per game in 79 games. He had no goals and 3 assists in 3 playoff games.    Before turning pro, Drouin played for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL alongside Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon,

*Photo from Florida Hockey Now*     Free agent LW Anthony Duclair has signed a 4 year, $14 million contract with the New York Islanders, according to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta. The Islanders have confirmed the deal.    Having been well traveled around the league, Duclair is somewhat familiar with playing in New York, as he started his career with one season playing for the New York Rangers in 2014-2015, his rookie year. He's not in the big city this time, rather on Long Island suiting up for the Islanders.    With the Islanders, Duclair also gets some long term security with his contract as he enters his age 29 season. He'll make $3.5 million annually over all 4 years and he also gets a full no trade clause for the first two years. He has a modified no trade clause for the final two years in the form of a 16 team no trade list.    Duclair said of signing with the Islanders "I think that, at this stage of my career and my life, I just wanted a little bit more s

*Photo from the Las Vegas Sun*     This contract has been well earned. The Calgary Flames and forward Yegor Sharangovich have agreed to a 5 year, $28.75 million contract extension, according to TSN's Chris Johnston. The Flames officially confirmed the deal.    Sharangovich gets extended on the heels of a fantastic year with the Flames, setting career highs in goals, assists, points, games played, and average ice time per game. Sharangovich was set to hit free agency at the end of 2024-2025 and was traded to Calgary along with a 3rd round draft pick in exchange for Tyler Toffoli.    Despite the Flames missing the playoffs, Sharangovich broke out last year. He potted 31 goals and added 28 assists for 59 points, posting a -29 rating while averaging 17:19 of ice time per game while playing in all 82 games of the season.    For the coming season, Sharangovich will play out the last year of his current contract, making $3.1 million in his age 26 season. His new contract kicks in when the

*Photo from Sportsnet*     Well hello, surprise move. The Columbus Blue Jackets and center Sean Monahan have agreed to a 5 year, $27.5 million contract, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. Columbus has confirmed the signing.    After a lost season in 2022-2023 due to poor performance and injuries, Monahan had a rebound year in 2023-2024, starting off strong with the Montreal Canadiens and carrying it over to the Winnipeg Jets. He's now joining the first U.S. team in his career on the heels of that campaign.    Columbus GM Don Waddell said in a statement announcing the signing "Sean Monahan is a very talented player, and his addition strengthens our team down the middle and injects valuable experience, leadership and versatility to our lineup. He can score and create goals, is very good in the faceoff circle, and can play on the power play and kill penalties. We're very excited to have him join the Blue Jackets."    The contract Monahan got from the Blue Jackets is a bi

*Photo from the Dallas Morning News*     Let's run this back for another year. Center Matt Duchene and the Dallas Stars have agreed to a one year, $3 million contract extension, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. The Stars have confirmed the signing.    After being bought out by the Nashville Predators last offseason, Duchene found his way to a division rival in the Stars, continuing to produce well despite averaging the lowest ice time per game in his career since 2011-2012. He's now back for another season as the Stars try to push for the elusive Stanley Cup.    Duchene fared well in a top 9 role with the Stars last season. He accumulated 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points, notching a +15 rating while averaging 16:46 of ice time per game across 80 games. He added two goals and 4 assists in 19 playoff games.    Stars GM Jim Nill said of bringing Duchene back that "Matt was a tremendous addition to our team and played an integral role in our success last season. He fit

*Photo from MSN*     One year in Canada ended up being enough. LW Tyler Bertuzzi and the Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a 4 year, $22 million contract, according to the Blackhawks. The team has confirmed the addition.    After signing a one year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, Bertuzzi is heading back to the U.S., signing a longer term deal with Chicago after the Maple Leafs reportedly tried to retain the 29 year old.    The contract Bertuzzi has in Chicago is comparable to his deal in Toronto. He made $5.5 million last year and will make the same money annually over all 4 years with the Blackhawks. He has a modified no trade clause for the first 3 years, with year one being a 12 team no trade list, year two being a 10 team no trade list, and year 3 dropping to 8 teams.    Chicago GM Kyle Davidson said of the addition "Tyler is a fantastic competitor who brings energy every night. He has enjoyed consistent offensive success throughout his career and we look f