Pens Points: Catching up on free agent moves
Lots went on this weekend, let’s get a round up
Miss anything this weekend with all the action in the NHL’s off-season? Let’s get caught up on this extended Fourth of July type summer holiday.
The Penguins beef up the organization by bringing back Radim Zohorna and also signing Marc Johnstone (who was with the Toronto Marlies last year) and 6’6” goalie Magnus Hellberg, formerly of Detroit and Ottawa. Added to July 1 signings of Joona Koppanen and Ryan Shea and the commitment to improve Wilkes-Barre has been very real. [Penguins.com]
Prospect Sam Poulin is back from receiving help for his mental health and says he’s currently in a good spot as he takes part in another summer prospect camp. [Penguins.com]
Kyle Dubas has bet big on Tristan Jarry to keep the Pens’ window in the next few years. Will it pay off? [The Athletic $]
Florida’s Anthony Duclair is off in a trade to San Jose. [NHL.com]
And the Panthers used a lot of the cap space cleared up from that move to bring in former Penguin Evan Rodrigues as a free agent on a four-year contract ($3.0 million per year). [Sportsnet]
In other ex-Penguin news, the Avalanche just can’t quit Jack Johnson and are bringing the veteran back on another one-year contract. [ESPN]
Columbus is making big changes, having made official the hiring of Mike Babcock, and also getting top draft pick Adam Fantilli to end his college career and turn pro for 2023-24. [USA Today]
Is Lou losing it? Two mid-lineup players (Scott Mayfield, Pierre Engvall) get whopping seven-year extensions. All-world goalie Ilya Sorokin will be sticking on the Islander for a long time too, with an eight-year extension that makes sense. 35-year old Semyon Varlamov even gets four years. [Lighthouse Hockey]
The Rangers didn’t have much cap room, but added nine veteran players (including former Penguin Nick Bonino) for a total of $7.1 million. Blake Wheeler and Erik Gustafsson could also be nice adds. [NHL.com]
The Bruins were in the same boat without much space, but still found ways to add Kevin Shattenkirk, James van Riemsdyk, Morgan Geekie and Milan Lucic. [Bruins.com]
Tyler Bertuzzi didn’t get the the market he was hoping for, so he’s headed to Toronto on a one-year contract with a $5.5 million cap hit and will try again next summer when the cap goes up to cash in. [Sportsnet]
Bertuzzi isn’t alone; Jason Zucker and Dmitry Orlov were fellow free agents who only found short deals (but often big salaries and some bonus money) in these tough cap times. [TSN.ca]
Other players who didn’t sign in the first 30+ hours of free agency and still looking for homes include Vladmir Tarasenko, Max Domi and Matt Dumba. [NHL.com]
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