NHL News: Draisaitl, Couture, Toninato, World Cup Pay and Cullen
The Minnesota Wild signed free agent forward Matt Cullen
On Leon Draisaitl …

Renaud Lavoie: Leon Draisaitl salary breakdown:

2017-18 $9M
2018-19 $9M
2019-20 $9M
2020-21 $2M + $7M SB
2021-22 $8M
2022-23 $1M + $7M SB
2023-24 $8M
2024-25 $8M

Renaud Lavoie: Draisaitl gets a no-movement clause and a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 2022 – lists 10 teams that he would accept a trade to.

On Logan Couture …

Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area: Logan Couture took a puck to the face back on March 25th and he’s still dealing with some aftereffects from surgery.

“There’s good days and bad days,” Couture said. “My bottom teeth are still my real teeth. They’ve tried to keep them so I don’t lose them. I don’t know if I’ll be able to, they’re still pretty sore. My top teeth are all fake now – my front six, I think. So, it’s different. It just feels different in my mouth.

“But everything else with my face and all that is healed. I’m lucky that it’s an injury that didn’t affect my training, and hopefully won’t affect me going forward.”

On the Colorado Avalanche …

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post: The Avalanche signed former Maple Leafs draft pick and free agent Dominic Toninato. They signed him to a two-year, two-way contract at $800,000 in the NHL and $70,000 in the AHL.

“(The Maple Leafs) didn’t have any contracts available,” Toninato said in a phone interview. “They only had an AHL offer and that’s not what we were looking for. So things just didn’t work out with them.”

On the World Cup of Hockey …

Rick Westhead: Players finally got paid for the World Cup of Hockey. Players who played in the tournament received $86,000 USD before taxes, with non-participants getting $10,000.

On Matt Cullen …

Michael Russo of Star-Tribune: Matt Cullen signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Wild and passed up the opportunity to three-peat with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Cullen said it was a family decision.

“But at age 40, it’s time to let the kids plant some roots and settle down at home because, as you go through a long career, the kids give up a lot in order to allow you to play. At a certain point here, it becomes more important to be fair to them, too. It’s a great scenario that I can continue to play in the NHL and be home. It’s an organization I’m really comfortable with and happy to be a part of.”

Cullen’s deal is worth $1 million and up to $700,000 in playoff bonuses.