The Chicago Blackhawks sign Andreas Athanasiou to an extension
Ben Pope: The Chicago Blackhawks have signed forward Andreas Athanasiou to a two-year contract extension with a $4.25 million cap hit.
“Athanasiou gets a nice raise over the $3M he made last year; the Hawks get closer to the cap floor and help support Bedard. Everyone’s happy.”
Scott Powers of the Athletic: The $4.25 million cap may seem a little high for some, but it helps them get to the salary floor, and they kept it to two years.
They’ll likely be looking to add a few more veterans and keeping the term short is important to the Blackhawks.
The New York Islanders sign Eetu Liukas
Puck Pedia: The New York Islanders have signed 2021 5th-round pick, forward Eetu Liukas to a three-year entry-level contract with a $867,500 cap hit and $925,000 AAV.
He’ll have a $775,000 salary, a $92,500 signing bonus, a $57,500 games played bonus, and $80,000 in the minors.
The New York Rangers re-sign Anton Blidh
Puck Pedia: The New York Rangers sign pending UFA forward Anton Blidh to a two-year contract extension with a $775,000 salary cap hit.
He’ll get $775,000 in the NHL, $350,000 in the minors with $385,000 guaranteed.
The Los Angeles Kings sign Vladislav Gavrikov to an extension
Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider: The Los Angeles Kings pending UFA signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year contract extension with a $5.875 million salary cap hit.
The Kings gave up a first-round pick as part of the package at the deadline to acquire Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo. He fit in right away.
Puck Pedia: Gavrikov’s two-year deal includes a full no-movement clause.
2023-24: $775,000 salary, $5.725 million signing bonus
2024-25: $775,000 salary, $4.475 million signing bonus
TSN: Chris Johnston said that it was Gavrikov who wanted the short term and is betting on himself.
“Gavrikov wanted a two-year contract and that’s because they were looking at a salary cap that’s expected to take a jump in 2024. He wanted to set himself up to be in a position to have a bigger payday then.”
Vladislav Gavrikov signs extension with #GoKingsGo
For the most part he has been more effective in real life than in fantasy, aside from a 33-point campaign in 2021-22. He is mostly a shot-blocker who offers a bit of everything else.https://t.co/4IGH2Bd1Jp pic.twitter.com/w3KlUgUoFT
— Frozen Tools (@FrozenTools) June 7, 2023
The Gavrikov deal is a bit confusing to me. Based on some simple weighted comparable stats over the past 3 yrs (age, GP, points, game score), it seems like we would expect a salary cap % for him in the 5.5% range. He signed for 7%.
We (EH) essentially projected the Zub deal. pic.twitter.com/rRV5MfGuXV
— EvolvingWild (@EvolvingWild) June 7, 2023
