This week's Capped discusses what the latest contract signings mean for now and the future.

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With the trade deadline having passed, we get back to simple contract signings for this article. No big time paydays, as those typically get inked in the summer, but some shorter depth contracts have come out recently and really seemed to have flown under the radar. A pair of Flyers re-upped, a new Senator keeps himself around for another couple of years, and a Blues third liner may have bought a ticket into eternal borderline fantasy relevance. These new contracts won’t kick in until next season, and as a result that is when most of the fallout will be felt.

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Michal Neuvirth (G)  –  Philadelphia Flyers

Current Contract  – $1,625,000

New Contract –  $2,500,000 (For two years)

After battling both injuries and counterpart Steve Mason for starts over the last few years, Neuvirth may finally have some clarity moving into next season. As long as Neuvirth can stay healthy (he generally has this season) then he should be in a good position to run with a starter’s job for most of the year. Philadelphia on the whole has not done well defensively this season, and this has resulted in some very disappointing numbers from Neuvirth. In the past though, he has shown how well he can do when given a starting gig to run with (as an example he was fourth in the league in save percentage last season).

Where Neuvirth is plying his trade next season is still up in the air. Neuvirth is likely to either remain in Philadelphia or be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. The contract he signed allows Philadelphia to protect Anthony Stolarz, expose Neuvirth, and let Steve Mason walk to free agency. From there, Neuvirth would either be a 1A ahead of Stolarz next season on the Flyers, or as a good option for Vegas, where he would likely be in a tandem situation with one of their other selections. The short term and the cheap dollar amount makes him an attractive option to fantasy managers for next season.

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Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (C/LW)  –  Philadelphia Flyers

Current Contract  – $712,500

New Contract –  $1,450,000 (For two years)

The other Philadelphia Flyer to sign a new contract recently is Bellemare. Bellemare has been centering the fourth line for the Flyers, and is currently one of their alternate captains. The fact he doubled his paycheck though is more so due to his leadership, grit, and responsible play than it is due to any kind of offensive output. The native of France has only posted 32 points thus far in 222 games since coming across the pond three years ago.

At 32 years of age, there likely isn’t another gear for Bellemare to reach. In the right setup, Bellemare did have some value this past season, winning faceoffs while being listed with a wing position as well as chipping in with close to one hit and one block per game (I actually owned him in one of my cap leagues this year). It may be a good contract from the perspective of the Flyers, but in fantasy leagues this new contract likely limits the already small fantasy value he has. Moving forward, there are many other options on sub $1 Million contracts that can replace, or even exceed, the production you will get from Bellemare.

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Alexandre Burrows (LW)  –  Ottawa Senators

Current Contract  – $4,500,000

New Contract –  $2,500,000 (For two years)

Barring a Martin St. Louis like resurrection, the 35-year-old Burrows’ best seasons are behind him. That doesn’t mean he can be left for scraps though. In his first seven games with the Senators, Burrows has six points. Despite the point-per-game average, he was actually held pointless in four of those seven games. What this means, is that we can expect Burrows to be a bit streaky during his time in Ottawa. In three of the four games that Burrows has seen over 13:30 minutes of ice time, he has potted two points in each. In the two he has seen under 13 minutes of ice time, he has zero points, and zero shots.

On the season, Burrows is now on pace for just over 30 points, so we really can’t expect him to score at a point per game the rest of the way; a point every two games however is fairly realistic. If Burrows can then keep his spot in the top six forwards for next season, a 40-point campaign may be in the cards. Burrows doesn’t provide a large amount of hits, shots, blocks or penalty minutes anymore, so most of his value will come from his scoring. At $2.5 Million a season over the next two years, Burrows could turn out to be an undervalued asset. However, keep an eye on his ice time. If he isn’t getting the chances on the ice, then he may just fizzle out and stop producing altogether.

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Patrik Berglund (C)  –  St. Louis Blues

Current Contract  – $3,700,000

New Contract –  $3,850,000 (For five years)

Even with St. Louis’ top two centres Paul Stastny and Jori Lehtera out of the lineup a few days ago, Berglund still somehow couldn’t crack the top line last game. Head Coach Mike Yeo would rather shift Alex Steen from wing to centre than play Berglund on the top line. Berglund has seemingly found his niche, and is digging himself ever-more firmly into that hole. He does well in the third line role, with occasional stints on the second line. Since Stastny and Lehtera can never stay healthy long enough for St. Louis to have set lines (let alone the oft injured Steen and Jayden Schwartz), Berglund does get a fair share of time with decent linemates. Berglund is also on pace for his first 20 goal season since 2010/2011. This may be part of the reason as to why Berglund was able to get a raise on his new five-year extension.

Berglund has had other seasons with very decent goal paces, however due to injuries, the lockout, and bad luck, the 20-goal plateau has eluded him for a while now. With Mike Yeo at the helm for a full season next year, Berglund should maintain his fantasy value from the end of this season through to next year. He is a decent all around contributor, providing above average numbers in hits and faceoff wins. Should Berglund’s luck increase from the low metrics he has this season, as well as him keeping his average power play time of over one minute per game, then an uptick in production could be in the cards. At minimum, it would be very difficult for Berglund to have fewer than eight assists through 67 games next season. The $3.85 Million price tag may be a little high at this point, but he is a relatively safe play, as we know exactly where his floor is by now.

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