The Swiss forward was buried on Montreal's depth chart, but excelled when given a chance to shine in Colorado. Playing 17:30 per night, Andrighetto recorded five goals and 16 points in 19 games for the Avalanche.
Barring any major offseason acquisitions, the diminutive 24-year-old forward should be expected to compete for a top-six role with the club in the 2017-18 season.
Buffalo Sabres property Cal Petersen has decided to take his talents to Los Angeles.
The University of Notre Dame netminder - who was drafted by the Sabres in the fifth round back in 2013 - will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has committed to signing with the Los Angeles Kings, TSN's Bob McKenzie confirmed, citing a report by LAKingsInsider.com's Jon Rosen.
Petersen is coming off a stellar season that saw him go 23-12-5 in 40 games while posting a .926 save percentage and a 2.23 GAA. The impressive season saw Petersen nominated for the Mike Richter Award - given to the top goalie in NCAA Division I.
Back in May, Petersen announced that he would not be returning to college, electing instead to turn pro.
David Perron was an unfortunate loss to the St. Louis Blues in the expansion draft, but the team isn't about to waste money finding his replacement.
General manager Doug Armstrong spoke at the team's development camp on Wednesday where he insisted the team will look internally to replace the offense produced by Perron, according to NHL.com's Lou Korac.
Perron posted 18 goals and 46 points in 82 games this past season, finishing fourth and fifth on the Blues in those respective categories.
One player who should be able to take on a bigger role with Perron out of the picture is Vladimir Sobotka. The 29-year-old joined the club late in the season after playing for Omsk Avanagard of the KHL.
Sobotka scored in his lone regular-season game with the Blues and added another six points in 11 games during the postseason.
Of course, having Robby Fabbri healthy for a full season - as well as the recent addition of Brayden Schenn - should also give the club an offensive boost.
The Avs will not be "in on the big players" when free agency begins on July 1, a team spokesman told Mike Chambers of The Denver Post.
Given the steep price pending free-agent defensemen are already going for, this might be a smart move for Colorado. Middling blue-liners such as Brendan Smith and Kris Russell have required $4 million per season or more.
Neither of these players would catapult the Avs into playoff territory, so they're better off saving their money for a rainy day.
General manager Joe Sakic's top priority this offseason is likely finding a trade partner for dynamic forward Matt Duchene. So it's possible Sakic could make some headlines on July 1, but it won't be because of a big-name free-agent signing.
The 36-year-old is coming off his fourth year with the Edmonton Oilers, but was limited to just 42 games this season, where he posted just four goals and seven points.
Hendricks certainly isn't among the bigger names on the free-agent market, but following the entry draft last weekend general manager Chuck Fletcher noted that the team was looking to upgrade its fourth line and in the backup goalie positions.
It's no secret that the Winnipeg Jets are in need of an upgrade between the pipes, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the club has reached out to pending unrestricted free-agent Steve Mason, according to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun.
Mason is set to become a UFA after spending the last five seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. That being said, Mason is coming off his worst year statistically since the 2011-12 campaign when he went 16-26-3 with a .894 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 58 games this season Mason went 26-21-8 while amassing a .908 save percentage and a 2.66 GAA.
Four goalies shared time between the crease this past season for the Jets and none posted a better GAA or save percentage than Connor Hellebuyck's 2.89 and .907 marks.
While Mason is expected to test the market, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has not completely ruled out bringing back Mason for another stint.
One of the top backup goaltenders expected to be available in free agency this summer is now off the market, as the Ottawa Senators announced they have signedMike Condon to a three-year contract worth $7.2 million.
The contract will pay $1.7 million in year one, $2.5 million in year two, and $3 million in year three.
The 27-year-old Condon is coming off a career season in which he made 38 starts and appeared in 40 games for the Senators, after appearing in just one game for the Pittsburgh Penguins from whom he was acquired on Nov. 2 in exchange for a fifth-round pick (Jan Drozg) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Condon set several Senators' franchise records during the 2016-17 regular season while filling in for goalie Craig Anderson during his several personal leaves. Condon played in a franchise-best 27 consecutive games from Dec. 1 through Feb. 4, became the fastest goalie in team history to record five shutouts - doing so in just 32 games - and along with Anderson, became the franchise's first goaltending tandem to each record at least five shutouts in a single season.
Condon was named the Molson Cup Award winner as the team's top player for both December and January. He finished the regular season with a 19-14-6 record, a .914 save percentage, and a 2.50 GAA with five shutouts. He appeared in relief of Anderson in two postseason games, stopping 28 of 32 shots faced.
The Montreal Canadiens signed Condon to a two-year contract as an undrafted free agent in May of 2013, after he completed his final season with the NCAA's Princeton Tigers. Condon got his first true shot in the NHL as an injury replacement for Carey Price during the 2015-16 season, making 51 starts and appearing in 55 games. He posted a 21-25-6 record with a .903 SV% and a 2.71 GAA.
Condon will serve at least one more season as the Senators' backup goaltender, as Anderson is a free agent after the 2017-18 season for which he carries a $4.2-million cap hit.
Smith, 28, had spent his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings until he was traded to the Rangers prior to the 2017 NHL trade deadline. In total, he played 51 games with nine points, a 49.7 Corsi For percentage while logging a career-high 19:15 minutes per game.
His reported contract is very similar to Kris Russell's four-year, $16-million deal he signed with the Oilers last week.
These two contracts will certainly lead to a large payday for some of the higher-regarded free-agent defensemen on the market, such as Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, and Michael Stone.
St. Louis Blues forward Patrik Berglund underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a dislocated left shoulder and is expected to be sidelined until December, the team announced.
He sustained the injury during his offseason training program in Sweden.
Berglund recorded a career-high 23 goals last season, and was likely expected to retain his role as the team's second-line center behind Paul Stastny heading into 2017-18.
Luckily for the Blues, they acquired 25-year-old Brayden Schenn at the NHL draft on Friday night. Schenn has been used as both a center and winger throughout his career, but will likely be asked to shift to the middle of the ice with the loss of Berglund to begin the season.
The Blues have other internal options, as well. Robby Fabbri, 21, is a natural center, but like most young players, has started his career on the wing. Veteran Alexander Steen, 33, has spent some time playing center throughout his career and could temporarily fill in. However, Schenn, who is entering the prime of his career, seems like the most suitable candidate.
There's also the chance the Blues address the center position in free agency, but the pickings are slim. Joe Thornton, Sam Gagner, Martin Hanzal, and Nick Bonino are the top centers available, and it significantly drops off afterwards. Plus, the Blues only have $11.6 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly.
While everyone is fixated on where big names in this year's free-agent class like Kevin Shattenkirk and Alexander Radulov will end up, the free-agency winners are usually the teams that sign the top bargains.
The following four players likely won't cost much this offseason, but all four have a chance to be this class' biggest steal:
Patrick Sharp, forward
Sharp will turn 36 years old in December and is coming off his worst season in a decade. He'll likely receive a one-year "prove it" contract for around $2 million.
If he lands on a team with good centers and spots open on the wings (the Oilers come to mind), he could easily return to his 20-25-goal, 50-60-point form. His 2016-17 season was hampered by injuries, and the Stars' offensive catalysts, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, had down years.
Furthermore, Sharp had some bad luck last season. His 5.5 shooting percentage was nearly half of his career rate of 10.8, and his team's shooting percentage at five-on-five while he was on the ice was also just 5.5, compared to his career mark of 9.1. He could be in line for a bounce-back season if the right team comes calling.
Jordan Weal, forward
Weal is being courted by a lot of teams for someone with just 37 games of NHL experience - an anomaly theScore broke down Tuesday. However, just because there's plenty of interest, it doesn't mean he'll be expensive.
Considering his lack of experience, it's hard to imagine Weal getting more than $3 million per season, and the 25-year-old could wind up outperforming his contract.
He scored eight goals and added four assists in 23 games with the Flyers last season, and his advanced stats were off the charts. He had an offensive zone start percentage of 61.1, a Corsi For percentage of 55.9, and 14 takeaways compared to just six giveaways.
Weal will likely go to a team offering him a top-six role, giving him 30-goal potential.
Michael Del Zotto, defenseman
Del Zotto is a former first-round pick, but he's had an up-and-down career. His first year in Philadelphia was impressive, but in the past two seasons he's been surpassed by younger defensemen (Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov) in the pecking order.
There has, however, been one constant for Del Zotto: Whenever he's playing for a new contract, he flourishes. Have a look:
Stat
Contract expiring
Under contract
GP
259
225
P/PG
0.413
0.364
S/PG
1.59
1.41
+/-
+1
-27
Even though he's just 27, it's hard to imagine him getting more than a one-year deal given how he's played the past two seasons. He clearly needs that motivation to succeed.
If he's signed by a team that can give him top-four minutes with power-play time, he could easily rack up 40 points. The Penguins could use a puck-mover on the back end, and could be a potential destination.
Anders Nilsson, goaltender
Nilsson has been exclusively a backup in his career, but it might be time for the Swedish netminder to earn a role in a platoon.
The 6-foot-6 goaltender posted a .923 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average last season while playing for the Sabres, who were one of the worst defensive teams in hockey.
If the 27-year-old gets signed by a team with question marks in the crease, such as Philadelphia, Winnipeg, Vancouver, or Arizona, he could very well become a reliable starter.
(Advanced stats courtesy: Hockey Reference) (Photos courtesy: Action Images)
