It has been a quiet week in the Atlantic division. There haven’t been any new acquisitions but two RFA’s have signed. It appears most of the teams in the Atlantic have their rosters set for the upcoming season. There are however still four unsigned restricted free agents.
Zadina, Myers sign new contracts
Since being selected sixth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018 draft Zadina has struggled to produce at the NHL level. Many thought he could be on his way out of Detroit this offseason. Instead they signed him to a three-year deal at an average annual value (AAV) of 1.825M.
Last season he scored ten goals and 24 points in 74 games (all career highs). While he improved his output, this still doesn’t match the expectations the team had for him when using a top ten selection.
Even though he has been unable to score consistently this contract could be a win for the Wings. At this point he is a low-end depth player but if his development gets back on track he could be underpaid by next season. If he doesn’t improve it’s a not much of a loss as the cap hit won’t hurt the Wings.
Philippe Myers was sent to Tampa Bay from Nashville in the Ryan McDonagh trade earlier this summer. He signed a one-year contract worth 1.4M this past week. Now on his third team, the 6’5” defenceman looks primed to play a significant role for the Lightning. He will likely start the season on the third pair but could be needed to play up the lineup as well.
Remaining RFA’s
There still hasn’t been any developments between the Maple Leafs and Rasmus Sandin. It’s also unclear where he fits in the roster. The Leafs have six NHL calibre defenceman signed and it has been reported negotiations are going nowhere.
Once a promising piece it’s starting to look more and more like Sandin will be in a new organization before next season begins. If he is to return to Toronto, he will have to sign below his asking price and the Leafs will probably have to move someone else out.
The new look Ottawa Senators are still yet to find contracts for Alex Formenton and Erik Brannstrom. There have been rumours all summer long that they are interested in trading for Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jakob Chychrun. This could be a reason for them to wait on these two players.
If they don’t include either Formenton or Brannstrom to upgrade their back end, both are expected to play substantial minutes.
The only other unsigned RFA in the division is Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach. Recent reports say negotiations are going well and an agreement on a bridge deal will be reached soon.
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