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AHL Shuffle: 03/02/22

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The Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs square off this evening in one of the four games on the NHL schedule, less than two weeks before they will meet again outdoors. The Sabres are going in a very different direction than the Maple Leafs right now, losing six in a row, but have always posed a tough test for the team from Toronto. On March 13, the two will meet for the Heritage Classic at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton, Ontario, meaning this is a tune-up of sorts for that exterior affair. As they and other teams around the league prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have returned Jake Leschyshyn to the minor leagues, just a day after he came up. The 22-year-old forward has played 20 games for the Golden Knights this season, recording four points.
  • With the San Jose Sharks now off until Saturday, they’ve returned Santeri Hatakka to the minor leagues for the time being. The 21-year-old defenseman hasn’t played in the NHL since November, but could end up seeing some time as the Sharks deal with several injuries in the coming weeks.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Trade Deadline Primer: Boston Bruins

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As the calendar turns to March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Boston Bruins.

The Boston Bruins have learned the hard way this year that every player has an expiration date. The sudden departure of David Krejci to Europe this summer and the failed comeback attempt of Tuukka Rask removed two of the team’s core players, despite both still performing at an elite level just last season. It left only two names remaining from their 2011 Stanley Cup roster: Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. While both are still at the top of their games, there is no way for the club to know just how long that might last. Bergeron and Marchand have been back to two Cups since 2011, but a second title has eluded them and the chances to win it all one more time are running out.

Locked into a playoff spot in the East – albeit likely a wild card spot – the Bruins can’t waste an opportunity to provide these veteran stars with another shot at a championship. With considerable salary cap flexibility, especially compared to most other contenders, and a full collection of draft picks, Boston looks primed to make some noise. However, they will also try to keep an eye on the future and protect what few blue-chip prospects they have. Can they make a big enough move to win a Stanley Cup this season without mortgaging the future?

Record

32-17-4 (.642), fourth in Atlantic Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$3,357,753 today, $5,036,630 in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: BOS 1st, BOS 2nd, CGY 3rd, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th
2023: BOS 1st, BOS 2nd, BOS 3rd, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th

Trade Chips

The most obvious trade chip for the Bruins is forward Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk formally requested a trade from Boston earlier this season and by all accounts, that request still stands. While a slow start coming off a down year in 2020-21 didn’t inspire the bidding war that the Bruins might have hoped for, the status quo is beginning to shift. DeBrusk has been red hot of late and potential suitors who were previously hesitant of acquiring DeBrusk given his lofty qualifying offer may be rethinking their position or at least looking to get creative.

Of course, DeBrusk’s strong play in recent weeks could also force the Bruins to change their approach to the trade request as well. Boston is under no obligation to honor the request in a given time period and could be looking to play out the year with DeBrusk while he is finding success. If he continues to score, the Bruins could still trade his restricted free agent rights or perhaps even re-sign him if the relationship has improved. If DeBrusk cools off, as he has been known to do, the team could always let him walk, essentially treating him as an internal rental. If DeBrusk is moved before the deadline, the Bruins will have to immediately replace him with another top-six winger anyhow.

The Bruins do not need to move DeBrusk to accomplish their goals at the deadline. With a full complement of draft picks (thanks to the Calgary Flames replacing a missing 2022 third-round pick), the team can package picks and prospects to acquire help. Which picks and prospects they are willing to part with will ultimately determine who lands in Boston. With a shallow system when it comes to elite young talent, top prospects Fabian Lysell and Mason Lohrei seem safe, but may not be entirely off the table.

More likely to move are some of the Bruins’ older, NHL-ready prospects. The Bruins have been able to showcase some promising pro talent this season in forwards Jack Studnicka and Oskar Steen and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen. The team would normally not be in any hurry to move them, but face an impending roster crunch next season when all three become eligible for waivers. If the team won’t have the roster space to keep them all safely in the NHL next year, it could make the trio more susceptible to being traded this year. Of course, the alternative would be to move some of those young players who they could replace. Injured defenseman Jakub Zboril was playing well before he was sidelined and will be in line for a roster spot next year as well if still in the organization. Or could the affordable Connor Clifton instead be on the move, allowing Vaakanainen and Zboril to play in Boston next year? Upfront, if Studnicka and Steen have been prioritized for roster spots next year, could Trent Frederic instead be the odd man out?

Though unlikely to make much of a difference, it is worth noting that DeBrusk is not the only Bruin to have requested a trade. Fellow 2015 first-rounder Zach Senyshyn would also like a fresh start and it would not be surprising if he is dealt at the deadline as a minor piece in a package. The speedy, two-way winger has admittedly not received much NHL opportunity, but also hasn’t done enough to earn it.

Others To Watch For: F John Beecher, F Jakub Lauko, F Quinn Olson, D Jack Ahcan, D Victor Berglund

Team Needs

1) Top-Four Defenseman

The Bruins believed that by re-signing last year’s deadline addition Mike Reilly and adding Derek Forbort to a defense corps that already had Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk they would be in good shape on the blue line this season. While the early returns suggested the same, especially with Zboril also impressing, as the season has worn on the defense has become the main point of concern for this Bruins team. Zboril is now out for the season, Vaakanainen is also sidelined, and Clifton has struggled in a regular role. At the very least, the Bruins need to add a more reliable option for the right side of their third pair. However, the team should aim higher to take some pressure off of McAvoy, who is playing huge minutes and in all special teams situations and is the only blueliner regularly contributing on offense. A veteran top-four defenseman that can produce and eat minutes would allow the Bruins to shift other defensemen down the lineup to build a deeper, more reliable starting group. The team could even look to add both a starter and additional depth option on the blue line.

2) Top-Six Right Wing

If DeBrusk is in fact traded, this becomes the Bruins’ biggest need – if not already addressed in the DeBrusk return. Boston has found great chemistry in its current second and third lines of Taylor Hall–Erik Haula–David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic–Charlie Coyle–Craig Smith. However, with Pastrnak and Smith playing lower in the lineup, a hole was created beside Bergeron and Marchand on the top line. DeBrusk took the job by default and has taken advantage, but his previous struggles on his offside and with consistency are a concern. If the team opts to sell high on DeBrusk, they will need a new right-wing for the top line. Even if DeBrusk is not traded, it still would not be a bad idea to add some security with a depth scorer. Former Bruin Phil Kessel is one name that has been linked to Boston.

3) Long-Term Top-Six Center or Top Pair Defenseman

If the Bruins decide to go all out at the deadline and address long-term needs rather than just short-term solutions, a young, left-handed defenseman and a proven second-line center are the organization’s most glaring holes. As previously noted, McAvoy needs a long-term defense partner. Perhaps even more pressing though is the depth down the middle, where there is no heir apparent to the aging Bergeron with Coyle and Haula limited in their ability and prospects such as Studnicka, Frederic, and Beecher yet to show top-six upside. The question of course is whether Boston wants to fill these gaps via trade at great cost to their pipeline or if they will instead wait for the free agent market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Rumors: Blackhawks & Flyers

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It didn’t take long for new Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson to make some waves in his now-official role. In media availability this afternoon, Davidson made it clear that he sees the Blackhawks as a rebuild. If that is indeed the case, then it may be more than just rentals departing Chicago in the near future. Of course, the two big names that could be on the move if Davidson and company move into a full-blown fire sale are Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The face of the franchise, Kane and Toews were the lynchpins of a dynastic run in Chicago and have continued to produce as the franchise has struggled in recent years. With just one year remaining on the matching eight-year, $84MM they signed long ago, Kane and Toews are now much more palatable trade targets if the Blackhawks choose to go that route. With that being said, the duo do have trade protection and any move would likely come from cooperation between the player side and the front office. In the latest edition of TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Darren Dreger suggests that those conversations could be on the horizon, but anticipating a move prior to the trade deadline is likely unrealistic.

  • While Marc-Andre Fleury has been seen as a much more likely trade victim in Chicago, that may not be the case after all. Chris Johnston notes that there has always been an understanding that the Blackhawks would honor Fleury’s wishes despite only limited trade protection. At this time, he hears that Fleury is leaning toward staying in Chicago through the end of the season rather than accepting a trade. It remains unclear what this means for Fleury’s future, but Davidson’s insistence on a rebuild likely means that his time with the Blackhawks will end after this season, though likely not any earlier. Should Fleury’s mindset on being traded change in the coming weeks, he will remain a highly sought-after target and Chicago could certainly benefit from the trade return.
  • Another anticipated top rental target whose status is still unknown is the Philadelphia Flyers’ Claude Giroux. Pierre LeBrun reports that Giroux is still on the fence about moving and controls his own fate with a No-Movement Clause. The 34-year-old certainly would like a shot at a Stanley Cup and isn’t going to get one in Philadelphia this season. On the other hand, with 39 points in 49 games this season, Giroux isn’t showing any signs of slowing down and will have other chances at a title if he decides to ride out the year with the Flyers and save his next move for free agency. From the team’s point of view, Giroux will be worth an exorbitant amount if he does decide he is willing to be traded. LeBrun believes that Giroux could be considered the most valuable rental on the market and initial talks that the Flyers have had with potential suitors reflects that valuation. Philadelphia is expecting to receive a first-round pick, a top prospect, and a young roster player (or a package of equal value) for Giroux. Loyalty aside, the team has to be hoping that Giroux is open to a move.
  • The Flyers face a trickier situation with defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. When he was acquired this summer, the team had a different vision for how this season would play out. That involved a more obvious upward trajectory for the club, which would have made signing Ristolainen to an extension an easy call. However, given Philadelphia’s struggles and Ristolainen’s himself, it is unclear how the two sides move forward, if at all. Darren Dreger notes that the two sides are talking contract and there is a significant possibility of an extension. However, if those negotiations do not yield an agreement before the trade deadline then Ristolainen could hit the block. Despite a down year, the big, two-way defender would draw widespread interest.

Trade Deadline Primer: Montreal Canadiens

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As the calendar turns to March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Montreal Canadiens.

The Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a dream run to cap off what had been an inconsistent 2020-2021 season, defeating three strong playoff teams before eventually falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. That dream run stands in great contrast to how the team began their 2021-2022 season. The Canadiens collapsed, falling to the bottom of the NHL standings. These results led to an organizational overhaul. Out was longtime GM Marc Bergevin, in was former Rangers GM Jeff Gorton in a role overseeing hockey operations along with former agent Kent Hughes as GM. Hughes and Gorton dismissed incumbent head coach Dominique Ducharme, replacing him with Hall-of-Fame player Martin St. Louis, who now has the Canadiens surging with five straight wins. Despite the team’s turnaround under St. Louis, the Canadiens still figure to be sellers at the deadline, as they indicated with the trade of Tyler Toffoli to Calgary.

Record

13-33-7, 8th in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$9.41MM today, $9.41MM in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly. 

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: MTL/CAR 1st,* CGY 1st,^ MTL 2nd, MTL 3rd, ANA 3rd, CAR 3rd, MTL 4th, TBL 4th, MTL 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th, STL 7th

2023: MTL 1st, MTL 2nd, MTL 3rd, MTL 4th, MTL 5th, CGY 5th, MTL 6th, MTL 7th

*As per the terms of the offseason Christian Dvorak trade, Montreal will give Arizona the better of Montreal/Carolina’s first-round picks, unless either or both are inside the top-10, in which case Montreal will receive the better of the two picks. 

^If Calgary’s pick is inside the top-10 the Flames have the option to trade Montreal their 2023 1st instead, and if they do so Montreal will also receive Calgary’s 2024 4th.

Trade Chips

Despite languishing at the bottom of the standings, the Montreal Canadiens still have a solid amount of desirable trade chips on their roster. The Canadiens player getting perhaps the most attention in trade speculation is defender Ben Chiarot. Chiarot, 30, is a pending UFA on a $3.5MM cap hit that is relatively easy for many contenders to absorb. Chiarot is a bit of a divisive player, with many disagreeing on his true value, but what is clear is that he plays the kind of playoff-oriented game that NHL decision-makers covet. Chiarot’s best asset is his physicality, his rugged style that wears down opposing players, especially in front of the net. He is not an offensive player, and his 12 points in 48 games show that, but he is still a good enough skater to handle himself in transition. More analytically-inclined observers might scoff at the idea of Chiarot returning the Canadiens any assets of significance, and that would not be an unreasonable stance to take given Chiarot’s place as a high-minute defenseman on one of the league’s worst teams. But even with that in mind, it is undeniable is that Chiarot is exactly the kind of player coaches and executives want to have in their uniform when playoff hockey begins.

Beyond Chiarot, the Canadiens have another player who many coaches and GMs will seek: Artturi Lehkonen. Like Chiarot, Lehkonen also saw his profile raised leaguewide during the team’s playoff run. Lehkonen helped linemates Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher take on the team’s toughest matchups, and their success in shutting down scorers like Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews (among others) was crucial to the Canadiens being able to go as far as they did. Lehkonen is a relentless forechecker who can fit on a contending team’s penalty kill as well as any of their four lines. He also brings an underrated offensive element to his game, with nine goals and 22 points in 50 games so far this season without much powerplay usage. Lehkonen offers an extra year of team control as an RFA after this season when his $2.3MM cap hit expires. His versatility, relentless two-way game, and an extra year of team control should make him a hot commodity on the trade market, especially given the trade interest a comparable player like Barclay Goodrow, for example, received a few years ago.

While Chiarot and Lehkonen figure to be largely in-demand assets on the trade market, the same cannot be said for defenseman Brett Kulak. Kulak, 28, is a bottom-pairing defenseman on an expiring $1.85MM deal. After struggling to establish himself as an NHL player as part of the Flames’ organization, Kulak arrived in Montreal and became a relatively regular NHL fixture. He is now a veteran of over 300 NHL games and can offer a team some stability and skating on their bottom pairing. A team shouldn’t expect a player who can handle intense special teams work or shelter an inexperienced defenseman, but that being said a team could do a lot worse than Kulak as a depth blueliner. He shouldn’t be prohibitively expensive to acquire, either.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Cedric Paquette ($950k through 2021-2022), F Mathieu Perreault ($950k through 2021-2022), F Joel Armia ($3.4MM through 2024-2025)

Team Needs:

1) Skilled Prospects

New GM Hughes made it clear when he was first introduced to Montreal media that he did not envision the team undergoing the sort of long-term, scorched-earth rebuild other franchises have undertaken. With those marching orders in mind, it is likely that Hughes’ plan to get the Canadiens back on track will center around already-drafted prospects and young players rather than draft picks to be used on players further away from the NHL.

2) Cap Flexibility

Despite the Canadiens’ struggles this season, the team is deep into LTIR spending and has some significant contracts on the books. It’s not as if the roster has been stripped bare and has no veterans commanding significant salaries. In fact, the roster has quite a few of them. Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that the Canadiens’ long-term plan could include adding a “significant” free agent, but for that to be the case the team would likely need to improve its cap flexibility from its current point.

3) Draft Picks

While Hughes has made it clear that he would ideally rebuild the Canadiens on an accelerated timeline, the fact remains that draft picks are crucial to building any successful NHL franchise. The Canadiens have a few extra picks moving forward thanks to trades, but still could use some more selections in the coming drafts to help re-stock their prospect cupboards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Jake DeBrusk

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After a challenging 2020-2021 season, Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk requested to be traded from the team. The team acknowledged his request, but since then there has been seemingly little progress towards a resolution of the issue. That lack of progress should not be confused with a retraction of the request, though. DeBrusk still desires a trade from the Bruins, and as Pierre LeBrun of TSN explains, DeBrusk’s camp is “willing to work on an extension to help facilitate a deal” so that the player can be traded to another team. For an acquiring team to retain an unextended DeBrusk’s rights beyond this season, they would have to issue him a qualifying offer worth $4.41MM against the cap. LeBrun notes that “a lot of teams are concerned” about that figure, which could explain why DeBrusk remains a Bruin several months after his request to be traded became public.

Looking at the situation from Boston’s perspective, it is clear that DeBrusk is in the middle of a bounce-back season, as was cemented by a hat trick against the Los Angeles Kings. He has 14 goals and 24 points in 48 games, which is a 24-goal, 41-point pace, production that is more in line with his past seasons. DeBrusk’s re-emergence as a legitimate scoring threat, especially recently, should in theory help him secure a trade, but the looming trade deadline complicates things. The Bruins are currently solidly in place in the Eastern Conference’s first wild card playoff spot, and taking away DeBrusk’s production as the team intends on competing for a Stanley Cup would not be ideal. That being said, one wonders if keeping a player who wants out on a team with sky-high aspirations is just as problematic. Moreover, there is the opportunity a DeBrusk trade would hypothetically provide the Bruins. Moving DeBrusk could help Boston target a replacement forward from the trade market, giving them more assets to trade and more cap space to work with. The team knows DeBrusk doesn’t want to be a Bruin, so perhaps a DeBrusk trade could go hand-in-hand with Boston acquiring a forward to replace him.

For an acquiring team, DeBrusk represents an interesting opportunity as well as a bit of a risk. On one hand, there are a lot of things to DeBrusk that make him an attractive trade target. He has flirted with scoring 30 goals before and is still only 25 years old. Given his recent inconsistency, he is likely to cost under $4MM on an extension, and is, according to LeBrun, willing to negotiate an extension with a team that acquires him. So any team can look at DeBrusk and see a potential 30-goal-scorer that they can lock into a bargain contract. But on the flip side of that, DeBrusk’s 27-goal-season was his sophomore campaign in 2018-19, and since then he has struggled to match that level of production. His bouts of inconsistency and inability to truly seize a top-six spot in Boston are red flags, and with a hefty $4.41MM price tag attached on a qualifying offer, what happens if he struggles to transition to a new team? DeBrusk is a difficult player to fully get a grip on, so he could be a bit of a leap of faith for any team that trades for him. But the upside is definitely there.

Compared to other options on the trade market, DeBrusk is a riskier proposition. As previously mentioned, his inability to cement himself as a reliable NHL scorer makes him more of a lottery ticket than proven veteran scorers such as Phil Kessel. But DeBrusk is younger, offers more long-term viability, and has the upside to be a multi-year fixture in a team’s top-six. A team acquiring DeBrusk would likely be in a different place in their competitive timeline than a team acquiring Kessel, because DeBrusk’s value is more theoretical, more long-term, while Kessel or other veteran wingers would in all likelihood provide a more immediate boost.

Interestingly, DeBrusk is not the only Bruins 2015 first-round pick to request a trade from the organization. Winger Zachary Senyshyn, the player the Bruins picked immediately after DeBrusk, also filed a trade request earlier this season. While DeBrusk may be viewed as a disappointment in the eyes of some observers in Boston, Senyshyn has been undoubtedly the more disappointing pick for the Bruins. Senyshyn has only appeared in 14 career NHL games and has a single goal to his name. With Senyshyn and DeBrusk requesting trades from the organization, it is clear that the team’s long-term plans for their offense have shifted away from those two former top picks. The situation with the two of them is definitely one to keep an eye on, especially as the trade deadline gets closer and closer.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Jordan Frasca, Taylor Gauthier

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3:15pm: Not only have the Penguins officially announced the contract for Frasca, but they have also signed Taylor Gauthier to a three-year entry-level deal. Both will start in 2022-23 and give Pittsburgh some extra prospect depth. Gauthier, 21, has been arguably the best goaltender in the WHL this season, posting a .932 save percentage through 28 games, winning 20 of those appearances. Since joining the Portland Winterhawks partway through the year, those numbers have actually only continued to rise, with a 13-1 record and .943 save percentage following the midseason trade. ’

While Frasca will likely end up starting with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, there’s a chance that Gauthier heads to the ECHL next season where NHL teams often send their raw goaltending prospects. Either way, Pittsburgh has nabbed another interesting name to keep an eye on.

11:15am: Teams are now allowed to ink prospects to entry-level contracts that start in 2022-23, meaning a rush of signings is likely to happen in the next few days. One of those is expected to be Jordan Frasca, who will sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins according to Darren Dreger of TSN.

Frasca, 20, went undrafted but is having an outstanding season for the Kingston Frontenacs, scoring 32 goals and 65 points in 44 games. His performance in fact has been part of the reason why some people have considered Shane Wright’s season disappointing. The potential first-overall pick in this year’s draft sits behind Frasca in the Frontenacs scoring race (while both sit well behind 21-year-old Lucas Edmonds, another undrafted forward that returned to Canada after several years in Sweden).

Set to turn 21 in July, Frasca will still be signing a three-year entry-level contract. It’s an impressive run for a player who wasn’t even drafted into the OHL until the seventh round of the 2017 Priority Selection, and had just 23 points in his first full season–then with the Windsor Spitfires. He’s now set to join an NHL organization, though it won’t be the first time he’s around professionals. Last summer, Frasca attended development camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs, something that likely helped fuel his dominance this season.

Dallas Stars Sign Antonio Stranges

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The Dallas Stars have gotten in on the entry-level signing parade, this time with an interesting prospect from the London Knights. Antonio Stranges has inked his three-year, entry-level contract that will begin in the 2022-23 season.

Stranges, 20, was picked 123rd overall in 2020, but quickly showed he was more than just a regular fourth-round pick. In 2020-21 when the OHL season was canceled due to COVID restrictions, he ended up signing an amateur tryout with the Texas Stars, where he played in nine games. Already it looked like Stranges might be able to handle himself at the minor league level, so when he went back to London this season it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him immediately dominate the competition.

In 39 games, the winger has 18 goals and 51 points, routinely setting up OHL goal leader (and Nashville Predators prospect) Luke Evangelista. Stranges is second in points on a team loaded with talent that has gone 30-13-2 on the year, and now joins an organization where there should be some opportunity in the next few years. While he’ll stay in London for the rest of this season and chase down an OHL championship, Stranges will likely join Texas for the 2022-23 season and begin his professional climb.

Calgary Flames Sign Rory Kerins

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The Calgary Flames are finalizing an entry-level contract with late-round prospect Rory Kerins, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The news comes on the first day teams are eligible to sign prospects to contracts that begin in 2022-23, likely the plan for the young forward. Unlike some of the others that have inked deals today, Kerins is not undrafted and was still on the Flames reserve list after they picked him 174th overall in 2020. The team officially announced the deal not long after the report surfaced, and PuckPedia relayed that it will carry an average annual value of $847K at the NHL level.

It also won’t be the first time he signs a contract with the organization. Kerins inked an amateur tryout last year in order to play four AHL games with the Stockton Heat while the OHL season was canceled due to COVID restrictions. That taste of professional hockey certainly seems to have ignited something in the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds forward, as Kerins has 33 goals and 84 points in just 50 games.

That’s good enough for second in the entire OHL, only behind Windsor Spitfires star and Dallas Stars first-round pick Wyatt Johnston who has 85 in 46 games. Kerins’ 33 goals are good for third in the OHL behind two other high picks, Brennan Othmann and Luke Evangelista. All of that turns into a pretty good season for the young forward, who will now be secured a professional future starting next season. Given that he’ll turn 20 at the start of April, Kerins will likely play with Stockton in 2022-23 as he continues his climb toward the NHL. For now, he’ll stay with the Greyhounds and chase an OHL championship, or even a Memorial Cup.

Washington Capitals Sign Henry Rybinski

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2:05pm: The team has made it official, announcing the three-year entry-level contract that will start in 2022-23.

12:30pm: The Washington Capitals are getting into the CHL free agent forward market, as Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports that the team has signed Henry Rybinski from the WHL. Rybinski currently plays for the Seattle Thunderbirds and was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2019. Because he failed to sign a contract with them by last summer, he became a free agent and quickly started to draw interest from around the league.

Today is the first day teams can sign free agent prospects to entry-level contracts that kick in for the 2022-23 season and given his age, Rybinski will be signing a three-year deal. The 20-year-old forward has been outstanding this season for the Seattle Thunderbirds, recording 18 goals and 54 points in 39 games. That’s good enough for 27th in league scoring even though he’s played up to 15 games fewer than some of his competitors.

Rybinski was in Edmonton Oilers development camp last August, and before that had been in camps run by the Panthers. That’s actually where he transitioned back to center, the position he now plays full-time. Adding another center prospect to the pipeline is never a bad thing, and Washington–like Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, who added players today–always needs to refresh the system in ways outside of the draft because of their perennial contender status and trade deadline escapades. There’s still a long road ahead of someone like Rybinski, but when his contract is made official, he’ll be taking a big step.

Seattle Kraken Sign Tye Kartye

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The entry-level contracts continue, with an expansion team this time getting into the mix. The Seattle Kraken have signed Tye Kartye to an entry-level contract according to general manager Ron Francis, who spoke with Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic. Kartye, 20, is an undrafted forward currently playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. Today was the first day teams are eligible to sign players to entry-level contracts for the 2022-23 season; Kartye’s age means he’ll be signing a three-year deal.

Kartye should already be very familiar with the Kraken, as he took part in their first development camp last summer. Like many Greyhounds in the past, he was also part of a Toronto Maple Leafs development camp, this time in 2019. The Kingston-born winger went undrafted, but has taken his game to an entirely new level this season, scoring 33 goals and 58 points in 45 games.

The fact that Francis is a legendary Greyhounds alumni likely didn’t hurt negotiations, but there is also an immediate attraction for free agent prospects when it comes to expansion teams. The Kraken will need all the young players they can get in the coming years as they try to build the program from the ground up, and Kartye will likely be one of the first members of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL team set to begin play next season. Originally selected 158th overall in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, all of Kartye’s hard work has paid off. He scored just four goals in his first OHL season, missed all of 2020-21 because of COVID restrictions, and now has an NHL contract with his name on it.

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