The calendar has turned to September and training camps are now on the horizon. While many teams are enjoying the last bit of their summers, there was some news of note around the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.
PTO Season: At this point of the summer, there are generally more players landing tryout agreements compared to full contracts. With that in mind, several veterans found PTOs to give them a chance to take part in training camps. Sam Gagner will look to earn a third opportunity with Edmonton and extend his 16-year career. Other forwards of some significance catching on with teams are Joel Kiviranta (Colorado), Zack Kassian (Anaheim), and Max Comtois (Vegas). Meanwhile, on the back end, Jordie Benn is hoping to have a second stint with his brother in Dallas while Pittsburgh is bringing in a pair of blueliners in Libor Hajek and Mark Pysyk. Expect the number of PTO agreements to continue to go up in the coming days.
Fedotov Plays In Russia: The Ivan Fedotov saga has taken another turn. Last month, the IIHF ruled that the contract the Flyers have with the netminder is the valid one, a ruling that the KHL and CSKA Moscow clearly disagree with as in their season opener, Fedotov was between the pipes in direct violation of their ruling. The IIHF has now referred Fedotov to the disciplinary board and fined the Russian Hockey Federation but neither of those actions are likely going to change the situation. Clearly, there is more to come on this particular file.
Hanging Them Up: Veteran winger Carl Hagelin has called it a career at the age of 35 as he announced his retirement. His contract with Washington expired this summer and he wound up missing the entire 2022-23 campaign due to an eye injury along with a hip issue. Hagelin had hoped to come back this season but in his announcement, he indicated that the eye injury is too severe to keep playing. His career spanned 713 regular season games over 11 seasons where his speed and defensive ability made him an effective two-way winger that also chipped in with 296 points. Hagelin also took home a pair of Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, his first two years with them.
Extension For Keefe: While Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving didn’t hire head coach Sheldon Keefe, he decided that he likes what he’s seen from him as Toronto handed their bench boss a two-year extension. Keefe was set to enter the final year of his contract so this move takes any possibility of his contractual situation being a distraction. The Leafs have had plenty of regular season success with Keefe behind the bench, posting a 166-71-30 regular-season record in 267 games. However, they’ve only won one playoff series in that stretch, that coming this past postseason in a six-game victory over Tampa Bay.
Kessel Not Worried About Ironman Streak: When Keith Yandle was nearing the end of his career, there was some pressure from teammates to keep him in the lineup to continue his ironman streak, one that eventually came to an end. Phil Kessel is in a similar situation; while he played all 82 games last season to bring the streak to 1,064, he was a frequent scratch in the playoffs. At this point, his best spot might be as a part-timer. To that end, Kessel indicated that he’s not concerned about extending the streak in the hopes that doing so will increase his chances of landing a guaranteed deal for the upcoming season. The 35-year-old was still relatively productive last year, picking up 36 points despite logging less than 13 minutes a night and is one of the more notable veterans still unsigned.
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