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Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour “On Time” In Shoulder Surgery Recoveries

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The Florida Panthers’ pair of star defensemen, Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, are both on track in their respective recoveries from offseason shoulder surgeries, general manager Bill Zito relayed this week on the Sirius XM NHL Power Play radio spot. Both players sustained the injuries in Florida’s run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final and were given recovery times from June surgeries that placed them ready for returns around the start of the regular season.

Zito believes both players are one to two months away from returning. That means opening night on October 12 is possible, but not a guarantee, for both. The information explains why the Panthers didn’t dip too much (if at all) into the potential long-term injured reserve relief provided by Ekblad and Montour this offseason, as one or both of them are likely to return early enough into the season that they wouldn’t be eligible for LTIR placement.

While Florida made a multitude of adds on defense this summer, they were all of the stopgap nature to help them get by until their number one and number two defenders returned to the lineup. If they’re not available when the Panthers open their season on the road in Minnesota, they’ll be looking at a top pairing of a mix of Gustav Forsling, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Josh Mahura, or Dmitry Kulikov – a far cry from what you’d expect from a defending conference champion.

When they return to the lineup, Ekblad and Montour will undoubtedly fill out the right-shot positions on both the team’s first and second pairings. Both players averaged over 23 minutes per game last season, although Montour pulled ahead in ice time slightly with a career-high average of 24:08 per game in the regular season. In his increased role, Montour had a rather earth-shattering breakout season at the age of 28. Recording 16 goals, 57 assists and 73 points in 80 games, Montour finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting last season. It was his first instance of receiving any consideration for the league’s Defenseman of the Year award.

Montour especially will hope to get off to a smooth start next season and hit the ground running. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent and needs to prove he’s worth a sharp increase on his current $3.5MM cap hit. Given his age, this is his one chance to lock in a lucrative long-term deal.

Ekblad, meanwhile, is locked in for two more seasons at a $7.5MM cap hit. He’ll look to return to his 2021-22 form when he recorded a +38 rating, 15 goals, 42 assists and 57 points in 61 games en route to finish sixth in Norris voting (and capturing the franchise’s first President’s Trophy).

August Free Agency Update: Pacific Division

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As even most mid-tier free agents are now off the market, it’s a good time to look at how each team has fared on the free agent market this offseason. We’re publishing a list of one-way signings (i.e., likelier to start the season on the NHL roster) by team, per division, to keep you updated on NHL player movement since the new league year began on July 1.

Asterisked players denote a restricted free agent. Double-asterisked players denote the contract starts in the 2024-25 season. We finish up with the Pacific Division. You can check out the list of Atlantic Division signings here, the list of Metropolitan Division signings here and the list of Central Division signings here.

Anaheim Ducks

*F Troy Terry (seven years, $7MM cap hit)
F Alex Killorn (four years, $6.25MM cap hit)
D Radko Gudas (three years, $4MM cap hit)
G Alex Stalock (one year, 35+ contract, $800K cap hit)
D Robert Hägg (one year, $775K cap hit)

Calgary Flames

D Jordan Oesterle (one year, $925K cap hit)

Edmonton Oilers

*F Ryan McLeod (two years, $2.1MM cap hit)
F Lane Pederson (two years, $775K cap hit)
F Connor Brown (one year, $775K cap hit)

Los Angeles Kings

**F Anze Kopitar (two years, 35+ contract, $7MM cap hit)
D Andreas Englund (two years, $1MM cap hit)
G Cam Talbot (one year, 35+ contract, $1MM cap hit)
G David Rittich (one year, $875K cap hit)
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (one year, $775K cap hit)
F Trevor Lewis (one year, 35+ contract, $775K cap hit)
*D Tobias Björnfot (two years, $775K cap hit)

San Jose Sharks

G Mackenzie Blackwood (two years, $2.35MM cap hit)
*F Fabian Zetterlund (two years, $1.45MM cap hit)
D Kyle Burroughs (three years, $1.1MM cap hit)
F Filip Zadina (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)
F Givani Smith (two years, $800K cap hit)

Seattle Kraken

*D Vince Dunn (four years, $7.35MM cap hit)
D Brian Dumoulin (two years, $3.15MM cap hit)
*D William Borgen (two years, $2.7MM cap hit)
F Kailer Yamamoto (one year, $1.5MM cap hit)
*D Cale Fleury (two years, $800K cap hit)
F Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (one year, 35+ contract, $775K cap hit)

Vancouver Canucks

D Carson Soucy (three years, $3.25MM cap hit)
D Ian Cole (one year, $3MM cap hit)
F Teddy Blueger (one year, $1.9MM cap hit)
F Pius Suter (two years, $1.6MM cap hit)
*F Nils Höglander (two years, $1.1MM cap hit)

Vegas Golden Knights

*F Brett Howden (two years, $1.9MM cap hit)
*F Pavel Dorofeyev (one year, $825K cap hit)

Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly

Edmonton Oilers Sign Brandon Sutter To PTO

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August 16: The Oilers have officially signed Sutter to a PTO, according to CapFriendly.

August 8: After missing the entirety of the last two NHL seasons, Sean O’Leary of The Score reports that the Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a professional tryout agreement with forward Brandon Sutter. An oft-injured player during his time with the Vancouver Canucks, Sutter has missed the last two seasons dealing with Long Covid.

With little cap space left to maneuver with, and the impending contract of restricted free agent Evan Bouchard, most pundits knew the Oilers were heading in this direction leading up to training camp. It is an interesting choice, as regardless of missing the last two seasons, Sutter had not played a full NHL season since 2016-17 with the Canucks, but will likely not be the last PTO the Oilers hand out this offseason.

When healthy, Sutter had historically been one of the better defensive centers in the game of hockey. Notably blocking a healthy amount of shots throughout his career, Sutter was also a mainstay on the Canucks penalty kill throughout much of his time with the organization.

If he does make Edmonton’s roster out of camp, it would be hard to imagine him as anything other than an extra forward on the team. The organization already has plenty of options down the middle in the bottom six, but Sutter’s experience and defensive tactics may sparingly earn him some minutes in a fourth-line role.

Long are the days when Sutter seemed like a regular 30-point bottom-six center option for most teams, but if the 34-year-old is still ready to play, there is a very low risk for the Oilers in this move.

August Free Agency Update: Central Division

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As even most mid-tier free agents are now off the market, it’s a good time to look at how each team has fared on the free agent market this offseason. We’re publishing a list of one-way signings (i.e., likelier to start the season on the NHL roster) by team, per division, to keep you updated on NHL player movement since the new league year began on July 1.

Asterisked players denote a restricted free agent. Double-asterisked players denote the contract starts in the 2024-25 season. Next up is the Central Division. You can check out the list of Atlantic Division signings here and the list of Metropolitan Division signings here.

Arizona Coyotes

F Jason Zucker (one year, $5.3MM cap hit)
D Mathew Dumba (one year, $3.9MM cap hit)
F Alexander Kerfoot (two years, $3.5MM cap hit)
*F Matias Maccelli (three years, $3.425MM cap hit)
F Nick Bjugstad (two years, $2.1MM cap hit)
*F Jack McBain (two years, $1.599MM cap hit)
D Troy Stecher (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)

Chicago Blackhawks

*F Philipp Kurashev (two years, $2.25MM cap hit)
F Ryan Donato (two years, $2MM cap hit)

Colorado Avalanche

*F Ross Colton (four years, $4MM cap hit)
*D Bowen Byram (two years, $3.85MM cap hit)
F Miles Wood (six years, $2.5MM cap hit)
F Jonathan Drouin (one year, $825K cap hit)
F Andrew Cogliano (one year, 35+ contract, $825K cap hit)
D Jack Johnson (one year, 35+ contract, $775K cap hit)
*F Ben Meyers (one year, $775K cap hit)

Dallas Stars

F Matt Duchene (one year, $3MM cap hit)
F Craig Smith (one year, $1MM cap hit)
*F Ty Dellandrea (one year, $900K cap hit)
F Sam Steel (one year, $850K cap hit)
D Joel Hanley (two years, $787.5K cap hit)
D Gavin Bayreuther (one year, $775K cap hit)

Minnesota Wild

*G Filip Gustavsson (three years, $3.75MM cap hit)
*F Brandon Duhaime (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)

Nashville Predators

F Ryan O’Reilly (four years, $4.5MM cap hit)
F Gustav Nyquist (two years, $3.185MM cap hit)
D Luke Schenn (three years, $2.75MM cap hit)
*F Cody Glass (two years, $2.5MM cap hit)
*D Alexandre Carrier (one year, $2.5MM cap hit)
F Denis Gurianov (one year, $850K cap hit)

St. Louis Blues

*F Alexey Toropchenko (two years, $1.25MM cap hit)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (two years, $775K cap hit)
F Oskar Sundqvist (one year, $775K cap hit)

Winnipeg Jets

*F Gabriel Vilardi (two years, $3.438MM cap hit)
F Vladislav Namestnikov (two years, $2MM cap hit)
G Laurent Brossoit (one year, $1.75MM cap hit)
*D Dylan Samberg (two years, $1.4MM cap hit)
*F Morgan Barron (two years, $1.35MM cap hit)
*F Rasmus Kupari (two years, $1MM cap hit)
G Collin Delia (one year, $775K cap hit)
F Jeffrey Viel (one year, $775K cap hit)

Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Snapshots: Toews, Mastrosimone, Allen

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For the next calendar year, the Colorado Avalanche and defenseman Devon Toews will be circulating in the rumor mill, as Toews is set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. Finishing out the last season of a four-year, $16.4MM ($4.1MM AAV), the Avalanche have received incredible surplus value from Toews on this contract. Pairing up nicely with star-defenseman Cale Makar, and becoming one of, if not the best defensive defenseman in the organization, Toews will undoubtedly be looking for a much higher salary on his next contract.

In an article by Peter Baugh of The Athletic, he writes that Evolving-Hockey has projected an eight-year, $64.4MM contract for Toews on his next deal. Within the last three years, Dougie Hamilton, Seth Jones, and Charlie McAvoy have all signed max term extensions, all making north of $9MM a year. In a similar list, MacKenzie Weegar, Hampus Lindholm, and Morgan Rielly have signed similarly long contracts, but are making between $6.25MM-$7.5MM a year. Given the quality of these defensemen, somewhere between $7.75MM-$8.25MM seems right for Toews, but not at a maximum length deal.

At 30 years old already, Toews will be hard-pressed to find an eight- or seven-year deal on his next contract, or will at least have to lower his price to get an interested team to bite. In Colorado, with Mikko Rantanen, Alexandar Georgiev, and Bowen Byram all needing new deals within two years, the Avalanche will have a difficult time financially fitting Toews into their long-term plans, even with the salary cap set to increase by a larger degree than in years past.

Other snapshots:

  • Speculation has begun to increase on the landing spots for the college free agents that saw their exclusive rights expire yesterday. One of the most popular players on the list, Robert Mastrosimone, may be an interesting fit for the New York Islanders, at least according to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. Currently holding 44 of a possible 50 contracts heading into the season, Rosner notes that Mastrosimone would be a great fit for the Islanders and that Mastrosimone even grew up an Islanders fan. Struggling in his first three years in the NCAA with Boston University, Mastrosimone took it to the next level for Arizona State University last season, scoring 11 goals and 31 assists in 38 games.
  • In more unfortunate news, the Guelph Storm announced that defenseman Cameron Allen will miss a significant chunk of next season due to shoulder surgery. In the 2023 NHL Draft, Allen was drafted in the fifth round by the Washington Capitals, coming off a down year by his standards. Allen saw his goal-scoring numbers dip by eight between his freshman and sophomore year and will have limited time this upcoming season to continue improving.

Kraken Draft Pick Kyle Jackson Signs AHL Deal

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The AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds have signed one of their parent club’s prospects, forward Kyle Jackson, to an AHL contract for the 2023-24 season, according to a team announcement. Jackson will begin his pro career in the Seattle Kraken organization without burning a year of his NHL entry-level contract and suit up for the AHL’s defending Western Conference champions next season.

Jackson was passed over in the 2021 draft after COVID cost him the 2020-21 season but went off the board to the Kraken a year later, who selected him in the seventh round with the 196th overall pick. He built on some already strong production, finishing second on the OHL’s North Bay Battalion in scoring with 31 goals, 52 assists and 83 points in 67 games. He wraps up his junior career and turns pro with 71 goals, 99 assists and 170 points in 186 appearances with North Bay across four seasons.

Projecting NHL futures is always more difficult with overage picks, but Jackson’s back-to-back point-per-game seasons after his initially eligible draft year is a good sign – especially after losing a full season to COVID. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, the 20-year-old’s hallmark is his puck skills. He’s a solid playmaker and is skilled at making plays in tight while maintaining possession.

Seattle must sign Jackson by June 1 of next year to retain his exclusive signing rights, meaning Jackson’s rookie year in the pros carries some added pressure. He’ll need to show some signs that his game can translate to the pro level to earn an entry-level contract from Seattle at some time over the next ten months.

Snapshots: Bunting, Butler, 2024 Worlds

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Carolina Hurricanes forward Michael Bunting was a guest on the JD Bunkis Podcast this week and revealed he didn’t have many extension discussions with the Toronto Maple Leafs after their second-round playoff elimination. After recording back-to-back 23-goal seasons in Toronto, Bunting signed a three-year, $13.5MM contract with the Hurricanes when free agency opened July 1. “Once the offseason came along, I didn’t really hear much [from Toronto]… you kind of just figured it wasn’t going to work out,” Bunting said.

Bunting had been a more-than-serviceable top-six piece for Toronto, especially at his previous bargain $950K cap hit. The physical side of his game evidently took too much of a stage when this year’s postseason began, though, earning him a multi-game suspension for a hit on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in the First Round. Even when in the lineup, Bunting lost his spot in the top-six to rookie Matthew Knies at times during the postseason, and he recorded just two points in seven playoff games.

Elsewhere in the hockey news cycle today:

  • Former Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Butler has announced his retirement from pro hockey, according to an announcement from the ECHL’s Worcester Railers. That’s where the 36-year-old Butler had spent the last two seasons of his career, serving as team captain and recording 54 points in 83 games. An undrafted free agent, Butler appeared in 130 NHL games across five seasons with the Senators, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, and Florida Panthers. He finished his NHL career with 20 goals and 49 points, including an impressive rookie campaign with Ottawa in 2010-11 when he recorded 21 points in 36 games. He won a Calder Cup with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators that same year.
  • The IIHF has released the schedule for the 2024 Men’s World Championship, set to take place in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. Next year’s edition of the tournament will include Great Britain and Poland after they earned promotion by winning the gold and silver medals in the Division 1A Worlds last year. Hungary and Slovenia finished last in their respective groups in 2023 and will need to work their way back up to the top level during the coming year. The Belarussian and Russian national teams remain suspended for the 2024 tournament.

Coyotes Prospect Jan Jeník Reportedly Seeking Trade Options

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Arizona Coyotes 2018 draft pick Jan Jeník remains without a contract for next season and is reportedly seeking a trade to continue his career in North America, according to a report from PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan.

The Coyotes issued Jeník a qualifying offer before the June deadline and retained his exclusive signing rights as a restricted free agent, but Morgan says he doesn’t appear close to signing with Arizona. The 22-year-old winger was the Coyotes’ 65th overall pick in 2018 and has three years of pro experience under his belt, mainly with AHL Tucson.

He’s put up strong offensive totals on a weak Roadrunners team over the past two seasons, even finishing second on the team in scoring with 17 goals, 30 assists and 47 points in 51 games during the 2021-22 campaign. After more solid play with 23 points in 30 games for Tucson this season, though, he didn’t receive much of an NHL chance – only two games at the major-league level in 2022-23 and just 17 overall over the past three seasons.

Arizona drafted Jeník directly out of the 1. Liga, Czechia’s second-tier pro league behind the Extraliga and not at all a traditional stomping ground for draft-eligible prospects. It was after the 2018 draft that Jeník established some decent stock as a prospect, coming to North America and scoring 86 points in 54 games across two seasons with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. He looked well on his way to solidifying himself as a potential top-five prospect in the organization, but without much of any NHL experience to show for it and a crowded forward corps next season, it makes sense he’s looking for other opportunities.

He may not get the trade he desires anytime soon, though, as Morgan reports the Coyotes “seem content to let Jeník sit,” given he has very little leverage as an RFA. He’s got a few options moving forward if the Coyotes don’t move him – he can sit out and hope the team folds before December 1, the deadline by which he needs to sign to play in the NHL this season; he can sign in Europe; or he can hope another team signs him to an offer sheet which Arizona opts not to match. Teams do not need to send compensation for signing offer sheets worth less than $1.416MM per season.

It doesn’t seem likely a team would issue an offer sheet of any significance, though, as despite his wishes, few believe Jeník is ready for a full-time NHL role as things stand. Arizona will likely match any offer he realistically receives and send him back to Tucson to start next season.

Boston Bruins Sign John Farinacci To Entry-Level Deal

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The Boston Bruins have signed free agent forward John Farinacci to a two-year entry-level contract with a $910K cap hit, per a team release. Farinacci, a 2019 third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes, became a free agent yesterday when the Coyotes let his exclusive signing rights lapse by not signing him to an ELC. Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald first reported the Bruins were closing in on Farinacci.

Farinacci heads to Beantown after completing three productive collegiate seasons at Harvard. He lost his sophomore year when Harvard suspended play due to the COVID pandemic. Last season, the natural center was limited to 19 games due to injury but was one of four players on the team to produce above a point-per-game pace, recording five goals and 15 assists while serving as captain. He finishes his stint at Harvard with 25 goals, 36 assists and 61 points in 79 games.

Still just 22, Farinacci immediately becomes one of the best center prospects in the Bruins’ paper-thin pipeline. He’s shown smart two-way acumen throughout his time at Harvard and possesses an above-average shot. He may have some top-six upside, but his sample size over the past few seasons has been limited thanks to injuries and COVID – increasing the variability in his projection.

While Boston will give him a long look in camp, he’s nearly a lock to start 2023-24 with AHL Providence, so the organization can see how his 200-foot game adapts to the professional level. He will become a restricted free agent with possible arbitration rights in 2025.

It’s worth noting this is a family affair for Farinacci in Boston, as his uncle is former Bruins forward Ted Donato (and is cousin is former Bruin and current Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato).

Minor Transactions: 08/16/23

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Notable NHL moves are few and far between this late in the summer. There was some significant news in the Atlantic Division yesterday, with the Detroit Red Wings acquiring defenseman Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens. However, there isn’t anything else major slated to happen anytime soon until training camps begin next month. The European schedule is a few weeks ahead of the NHL’s, though, and most leagues overseas have already begun their preseason and start the 2023-24 campaign in earnest in just a few weeks. That means there are a fair bit of last-minute moves trickling in. We’re keeping track of today’s notable minor moves here.

  • Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Ostap Safin has converted on an overseas PTO and will suit up for the KHL’s Lada Togliatti in 2023-24, according to a team release. Edmonton selected the Czech winger in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract less than a year later. The deal ran until the 2021-22 campaign, and with Safin failing to establish a full-time AHL role for himself over the course of three pro seasons, Edmonton opted not to issue him a qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent. He returned home last season, finally solidifying a pro role in Czechia with eight goals, five assists and 13 points in 41 games for Extraliga club HC Sparta Praha. Now 24 years old, he heads to Togliatti, joining a roster that includes former Winnipeg Jets forward Scott Kosmachuk.
  • In a confirmed transaction with the Ontario Reign, forward Jacob Doty will suit up for the team for the fifth straight season. Before his time with the Reign starting in the 2019-20 AHL season, Doty had been split fairly evenly between the AHL and ECHL. The Denver, CO native has suited up in 151 games over the last eight seasons in the AHL, scoring nine goals and 14 assists in total. At the ECHL level, Doty is a veteran of 159 games in only four years, scoring 13 goals and 23 assists.
  • In a press release this afternoon, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced a one-year contract extension for center Samuel Houde. After an impressive stint with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL during the 2021-22 season, scoring 13 goals and 30 assists in only 31 games, Houde earned a full-time spot for the baby Penguins last year. His goal-scoring ability remained above average, but his playmaking abilities took a hit, scoring 12 goals and eight assists in 65 games last year. Although not appearing like much on paper, on a basement-dwelling Penguins team last year, those numbers were good for 10th on the team in total scoring, and fifth on the team in goals scored.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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