Steve Yzerman clearly wants to get all of his work done on Day 1, as he’s added two more players by signing defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to a one-year, $4.125 million contract, and expected to sign center Christian Fischer to a one-year contract. Fischer’s cap hit has yet to be confirmed at this point in time.
Gostisbehere, 30, was an unrestricted free agent after finishing a six-year contract with a $4.5 million contract, a deal he originally signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. He ends up seeing a decrease in salary of $375,000, and with it being only his third contract, it will be his lowest non-ELC cap hit. His closest cap hit comparable on the blue line is Mikey Anderson, who also has a $4.125 million AAV.
Gostisbehere had a bit of a rejuvenated career since joining the Arizona Coyotes in 2021, with 14 goals, 37 assists, and 51 points in 82 games in 2021-22, and 13 goals, 28 assists, and 41 points in 75 games this past season with both the Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes, along with three assists in 15 playoff games as the Canes were swept in the Eastern Conference Final by the Florida Panthers.
Gostisbehere was a third round pick of the Flyers in the 2012 draft, and spent the first seven seasons of his NHL career in Philadelphia. He was dealt to the Coyotes in 2021 as a cap dump, and then joined the Canes at the 2023 trade deadline as a rental.
Fischer was an unrestricted free agent after he didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Coyotes at the conclusion of his one-year, $1,125,875 contract.
Fischer, 26, played in 80 games this season with the Coyotes, with 13 goals, 14 assists, and 27 points on the year. It was just the second time he has eclipsed the 20-point mark in a season, also doing so when he had 33 in 79 games in the 2017-18 season.
Fischer was a second round pick of the Coyotes in 2015, and up until this point had spent the entirety of his seven-season NHL career in Arizona.
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