Flames and Bennett agree on a bridge deal
NHL.com: The Calgary Flames agreed to a two-year contract with forward Sam Bennett with an AAV of $2.55 million. He had an arbitration hearing scheduled for Saturday.
Ryan Pike: The Flames now have about $11.31 million in salary cap space for six more roster spots – four forwards including RFAs Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane, one defenseman and RFA goaltender David Rittich.
Wes Gilbertson: Bennett is planning on earning a spot in their top-six: “I think that at a young age, everybody wants to be the next superstar. But sometimes it takes some time and I still think that I have tons to prove.”
Rangers sign an RFA
New York Rangers: The Rangers have signed restricted free agent forward Vinni Lettieri to a one-year contract.
Blues hire Savard
Dan Rosen: The St. Louis Blues have hired Marc Savard as an assistant coach.
Jeremy Rutherford: Blues coach Craig Berube on Savard: “I was fortunate to play with Marc during my career and I’m very familiar with his passion and acumen for the game. He was a tremendous player and possesses an elite offensive mind. His addition will be a great benefit to our players and organization.”
Maple Leafs sign seven
Cap Friendly: The Toronto Maple Leafs signed seven free agents yesterday.
Pontus Aberg (1yr 700k)
Kenny Agostino (2yr $737.5k)
Tyler Gaudet (1yr 2-way $700k)
Kalle Kossila (2yr 2-way $700k)
Nick Shore (1yr $750k)
Garrett Wilson (1yr $725k)
Kevin Gravel (1yr $700k)
Justin Bourne: “All 1 or 2 year deals, every player a “quad-A” type between the ages of 25-28, all w/ NHL experience. Great way to fill out roster fringes and AHL squad and shore up depth.”
Engelland didn’t want to move on
Justin Emerson: Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland said that he received offers from other teams but his goal was to remain in Vegas.
Justin Emerson: After receiving some calls around July 1st, Engelland called George McPhee to make sure that they were still on the same page with regards to a new deal. There wasn’t a big concern on his end that he wouldn’t be back.
Justin Emerson: None of Engelland’s offers were for more than one season. He hopes to play for a few more years.