Archives for September 2023

Snapshots: Chiarelli, Duda, Ponomarev, Sanheim

September 23, 2023 at 12:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Could long-time NHL executive Peter Chiarelli be on the move again? Long-time Senators reporter Brent Wallace reported on his podcast recently (video link) that Chiarelli has moved to Ottawa and is likely to join the Sens in some capacity. He actually started his career with Ottawa as their Director of Legal Relations before moving to Boston and later Edmonton as their GM. Chiarelli has spent the last four seasons in St. Louis, the last two of which were as their Vice President of Hockey Operations. Wallace notes that Chiarelli has ties to new owner Michael Andlauer whose purchase was formally approved on Thursday. He has already made one front office hire in bringing back Cyril Leeder and it looks like more could soon be coming.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

The NCAA will be re-examining its original denial of Coyotes prospect Artyom Duda’s request to play at the University of Maine this season, relays PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan. The 19-year-old saw time at the KHL, VHL, and MHL levels last year and with some of those being pro leagues, it stands to reason that this was the reason his initial request was denied. Duda, a 2022 second-round pick by Arizona, could also play with Youngstown of the USHL this season as it’s believed that the Coyotes would rather not see the blueliner return to play in Russia.
Hurricanes prospect Vasili Ponomarev will be out for a little while, notes Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal (Twitter link). The 21-year-old is coming off a strong first season in North America as he picked up 24 goals and 22 assists in 64 games last season with AHL Chicago. The injury isn’t believed to be overly serious but as someone who might have had a shot at pushing for a spot with Carolina in training camp, missing any time will make that objective harder to accomplish.
Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim revealed to reporters including Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he suffered a fractured foot while playing for Canada at the Worlds in 2022. While he was able to participate in training camp, he felt that the injury prevented him from a proper summer of training which may have played a role in his struggles last season. It was his desire to have a full proper offseason that led him to decline Canada’s request to take part in the tournament back in the spring.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Detroit Red Wings

September 23, 2023 at 10:41 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Detroit Red Wings

Current Cap Hit: $78,343,473 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jonatan Berggren (one year, $925K)
F Lucas Raymond (one year, $925K)
D Moritz Seider (one year, $863K)

Potential Bonuses
Raymond: $2.5MM
Seider: $850K
Total: $3.35MM

Raymond wasn’t able to match his rookie-season output that saw him finish fourth in Calder Trophy voting but he still did well, notching 45 points in 74 games. Both sides certainly believe he has more in the tank than that which makes him a long-term extension candidate. At this point, the magic number might have to start with a seven for that to happen. A bridge agreement would be closer to the $4MM range. Berggren had a solid rookie showing last season but with the extra depth the Red Wings added up front, he will be hard-pressed to command a higher spot on the depth chart. Accordingly, he’s likely heading for the short-term second contract; if he can stay around the 30-point mark, that deal should check in around double his current price tag.

Seider also didn’t live up to the expectations of his rookie campaign in 2021-22, a performance that saw him win Rookie of the Year. But as far as sophomore seasons go, his was still pretty good. The sixth-overall pick in 2019 is their undisputed number one defenseman and there’s little reason to think that the best isn’t yet to come. With that in mind, it would make sense for GM Steve Yzerman to zero in on a long-term second contract. The eight-year, $64.4MM extension that Jake Sanderson signed with Ottawa recently figures to be the starting point in negotiations. From the bonus perspective, Seider could reach all four of his ‘A’ bonuses (Raymond has four worth this amount as part of his deal as well) but Detroit has ample space to absorb that on their books this season.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Christian Fischer ($1.125MM, UFA)
D Shayne Gostisbehere ($4.125MM, UFA)
F David Perron ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Michael Rasmussen ($1.46MM, RFA)
G James Reimer ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Daniel Sprong ($2MM, UFA)
F Joe Veleno ($825K, RFA)

Perron typically hadn’t had much success outside of St. Louis but changed that last year, continuing his streak of recording at least 55 points in a season for the fourth year in a row. Another season like that would seemingly boost his value but he’ll be 36 at that time and pricey multi-year deals are hard to come by at that age. Sprong was non-tendered for the second straight summer to avoid salary arbitration despite a breakout performance that saw him pass 20 goals and 20 assists for the first time. If he can repeat that this season, he could double this price tag a year from now.

Rasmussen battled injuries last year but still hit a new benchmark in points. His development has been slower but steady as they look to turn him into a second-liner. That might not happen this season but he’s still setting himself up for an AAV past the $2MM mark if he can repeat last year’s output. Fischer came over in unrestricted free agency after being non-tendered by Arizona and will need to show that last season’s offensive improvement (27 points) is repeatable to avoid being typecast into a fourth-line role. Veleno opted for a one-year lower-cost bridge agreement in the hopes of locking down a bigger role which would set him up for a better pay day next summer. Either way, he’ll be arbitration-eligible which will help his cause.

Gostisbehere’s case is an interesting one. Offensively, he produces at a rate that’s well above average but he gives a good chunk of it back at the defensive end. His situation reminds me of Tyson Barrie, a proven offensive producer but someone who struggles to generate long-term contracts on the open market. Playing time will be harder to come by in Detroit which should lower his output (and value) next summer. A multi-year deal starting with a three might be his best option next summer.

Reimer comes over in free agency from San Jose coming off by far the worst season of his career. On what should be a better team, a rebound is expected but if it’s not a significant one, his market value might take another tumble at the age of 36 next summer.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Robby Fabbri ($4MM, UFA)
G Ville Husso ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Klim Kostin ($2MM, RFA)
D Olli Maatta ($3MM, UFA)
D Jeff Petry ($2.344MM, UFA)*

*-Montreal is retaining $2.344MM per season; Pittsburgh is retaining $1.563MM per season.

Fabbri’s contract seemed like a reach when he signed it in 2021. When healthy, he plays like a $4MM player but he just can’t stay healthy. He will need to shed that label to have any chance of a deal near this price point in 2025. Kostin came over in an odd trade with Edmonton as one player was bought out and Kostin himself was non-tendered to avoid arbitration. They got this deal done soon after, a nice improvement for someone who cleared waivers in training camp last season. Detroit is clearly banking on Kostin having an ability to improve upon last season’s production and if he can, they’ll have an intriguing power forward on their hands. With those, the price tag usually only goes up from there.

Maatta’s decision to sign with Detroit last summer proved wise as he earned himself this in-season extension to keep him around longer. He’s not at the level he was in his rookie year but can still play in the top four when needed and kill penalties. This seems a bit above market but not by much. Petry is coming off a down year in Pittsburgh but still should serve as a capable replacement for Filip Hronek behind Seider on the right side of the depth chart. He’ll be turning 38 soon into his next deal and it’s fair to say that it will be a lot lower than his base $6.25MM AAV.

Husso was an interesting pickup by Yzerman last summer. Detroit traded for his negotiation rights which is something we don’t see a lot of nowadays. Husso then received a pretty sizable contract for someone with just 53 career NHL starts under his belt. The results in his first season were mixed. There were flashes where Husso looked like a capable starter (or at least a strong-side platoon option) and others where he struggled mightily. Now with a full season under his belt, it will be interesting to see if he can improve and help lead Detroit into a push for the playoffs. If that happens, he could set himself up for a small raise in 2025 but if not, he’ll drop more into the category of a true platoon goalie whose market value is about a million less than his current price tag.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Ben Chiarot ($4.75MM, UFA)
D Justin Holl ($3.4MM, UFA)
D Jake Walman ($3.4MM, UFA)

Chiarot received one of the bigger deals for a blueliner last summer but he struggled in his first season despite playing a similar role to the one he had some success with in Montreal. With a deeper back end now, it’s possible that a lesser role might make Chiarot a better fit this season. Walman is still relatively unproven as last season was his first where he played more than 51 games. But he showed enough to give the Red Wings some enthusiasm to think there’s more still to come. If that’s the case, this could be a bargain. If not, it might wind up a bit above market value as well. Holl’s contract looks above market value already after he struggled in Toronto last season to the point where he was scratched at times in the playoffs. A right-shot defender (which always carries extra value), he can hold down a lesser role on this back end but this is a high price for a third-pairing player.

Signed Through 2026-27 Or Longer

F J.T. Compher ($5.1MM through 2027-28)
F Andrew Copp ($5.625MM through 2026-27)
F Alex DeBrincat ($7.875MM through 2026-27)
F Dylan Larkin ($8.7MM through 2030-31)

It took longer than expected but Larkin eventually got a deal done last season after some comparable deals ultimately helped his price range in place. He doesn’t quite produce like a true top center but does enough in that role that he should provide a good return as long as he remains their top middleman. DeBrincat comes over following a down year in Ottawa but brings a much-needed scoring threat to Detroit’s top line. He didn’t get the long-term, big-money deal he was seeking but this is a reasonable compromise, one that gives the Red Wings a boost now but allows DeBrincat to take a shot at free agency at age 30 where he could look to secure a raise and another long-term pact at that time.

Detroit’s lack of depth down the middle led them to take a gamble on Copp last summer following a breakout year. Historically, he has produced more like a third-liner and he reverted back to that last season. While he brings value as a strong defensive player, it’s fair to say they’re looking for more. In fact, his struggles likely contributed to Yzerman making a similar gamble on Compher, a player who had a breakout year with Colorado last season but has been more of a third-liner previously. He showed he could handle big minutes with the Avs in 2022-23, a team that battled significant injuries but playing time will be harder to come by here. This contract is certainly a risk on Detroit’s end.

Buyouts

F Justin Abdelkader ($1.056MM through 2025-26)
F Kailer Yamamoto ($433K in 2023-24, $533K in 2024-25)

Retained Salary Transactions

D Jakub Vrana ($2.625MM in 2023-24)

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Rasmussen (entry-level deals are excluded from consideration)
Worst Value: Copp

Looking Ahead

Despite quite the spending spree by Yzerman this summer, cap space isn’t an issue for Detroit which is well-positioned to absorb the bonuses that Raymond and Seider are likely to hit. If they’re in a position to add at the trade deadline, they should be a team to keep an eye on as they can take on some contracts and have a decent prospect pool to deal from.

While the Red Wings will have around 10 roster spots to fill next summer, they should have around $30MM to work with to fill them, putting them in a good position to take a swing at adding another core piece. Longer-term, they’re similarly well-positioned as a lot of their signings have been medium-term fillers. It has been a very slow build in Detroit but more spending sprees to build their roster should be on the horizon.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Carter, Teravainen, Stillman

September 23, 2023 at 9:28 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

After struggling for most of last season in Pittsburgh, many have speculated that retirement could soon be on the horizon for Penguins forward Jeff Carter. He told reporters including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he has not yet given any thought as to whether this season – his 20th in the NHL – will be his last. The 38-year-old played in 79 games last season, his highest total since 2016-17 but managed just 13 goals and 16 assists while seeing his playing time drop under 14 minutes per game. Early indications in training camp are that it might be dropping again as he has lined up as a fourth line winger so far which wouldn’t be a great return on a deal that carries a $3.125MM cap hit for the upcoming season.

Summer Synopsis: Seattle Kraken

September 22, 2023 at 8:31 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 2 Comments

Not only did the sophomore year of the Seattle Kraken organization in the NHL result in a playoff berth, but the team was able to impress even further by eliminating the then-defending Stanley Cup champion, Colorado Avalanche, in their seven-game opening-round matchup. Led by emerging star and 2023 Calder Trophy winner Matthew Beniers, as well as a hodgepodge of veteran leaders thanks to the expansion draft, free agency, and well-timed trade acquisitions, this team still has an uphill battle in the Pacific Division.

It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Kraken, who are looking to build on their impressive season last year. Most of the talent acquired this summer primarily came out of the draft, with the team making no trades and largely nibbling around the edges of the free-agent market.

Draft

1-20: F Eduard Sale, HC Kometa Brno (Czechia)
2-50: F Carson Rehkopf, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
2-52: F Oscar Fisker Molgaard, HV71 (SHL)
2-57: D Lukas Dragicevic, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
3-84: D Caden Price, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
4-116: F Andrei Loshko, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
5-148: D Kaden Hammell, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
6-168: G Visa Vedenpaa, Karpat U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
6-180: F Zeb Forsfjall, Skellefteå AIK (SHL)
7-212: F Zaccharya Wisdom, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)

Carrying a healthy mix of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders, as well as a balance between North American and European skaters, the Kraken organization deepened all facets of their prospect cupboards at the 2023 NHL Draft.

The prize of the draft for Seattle, Sale, was one of the better selections in terms of return on investment. Only one year ago, Sale was frequently cited in the top 10 on most draft big boards, scoring 89 points in 39 games during his last season in Czechia’s top junior league. Unfortunately, in his first season against more seasoned veterans in Czechia’s professional league, Sale was only able to score seven goals and seven assists in 43 games, playing in an extremely limited role overseas. Nevertheless, Sale has all the intangibles to be a top-six forward in the NHL and should have better luck playing for the Barrie Colts this season.

In one of the higher upside swings for the team at this summer’s draft, the Kraken were able to select Dragicevic at 57th overall, the highest-scoring right-handed defenseman in the draft. Playing for the Americans last season in the WHL, Dragicevic put up 15 goals and 60 assists in 68 regular season games, showing excellent vision in transition and on the powerplay. There are quite a few questions surrounding his defensive side of the game, but most teams in the NHL would overlook defensive shortcomings for a potential point-per-game blueliner.

UFA Signings

F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (one year, $775K)
D Connor Carrick (one year, $775K)*
D Brian Dumoulin (two years, $6.3MM)
F John Hayden (one year, $775K)*
D Mitch Reinke (one year, $775K)*
D Jimmy Schuldt (one year, $775K)*
F Devin Shore (one year, $775K)*
F Marian Studenic (one year, $775K)*
F Kailer Yamamoto (one year, $1.5MM)

*-denotes a two-way contract

By most metrics, Dumoulin had a subpar season last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was able to earn a career-high in assists (24) and points (25) but did see his CF% dip under career averages with a 45.2% showing, as well as his oiSV% at 88.5%. At only a two-year deal, it’s a relatively low-risk deal for the Kraken, who are now able to use Dumoulin to round out their top four and still have many of the blueliners present on the team last season.

One of the more under-the-radar signings not only for Seattle but across the entire NHL this summer is the one-year deal the team handed out to Yamamoto. He was originally acquired by the Detroit Red Wings in a salary dump deal earlier in the summer, and thanks to a buyout on June 30th, Yamamoto entered unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. At still only 24 years old, Yamamoto still has quite a bit of talent to showcase, and with his offensive capabilities, as well as his above-average speed with and without the puck, should be able to translate smoothly to the Kraken organization.

RFA Re-Signings

D William Borgen (two years, $5.4MM)
D Vince Dunn (four years, $29.4MM)
D Cale Fleury (two years, $1.6MM)
F Kole Lind (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes a two-way contract

Heavily blocked on the depth chart during his time with the St.Louis Blues from 2017-2021, Dunn has thrived since joining the Kraken organization. Based on his last two seasons in Seattle, Dunn is one of, if not the best player selected by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft.

Matching a career-high in points in Seattle during the 2021-22 season, Dunn accelerated into an entirely different form last year, scoring 14 goals and 50 assists in 81 regular season games for the Kraken. Carrying his season momentum into the playoffs, Dunn would score one goal and six assists in 14 games, finishing second amongst defensemen on the team in points. Although the Kraken would have likely wanted to sign Dunn to a longer-term extension, this four-year deal will take Dunn to his age 30 season, giving him ample opportunity to get paid once again in unrestricted free agency.

Departures

F Ryan Donato (Chicago, two years, $4MM)
F Joonas Donskoi (Retirement)
F Morgan Geekie (Boston, two years, $4MM)
D Brogan Rafferty (Detroit, two years, $1.55MM)
D Carson Soucy (Vancouver, three years, $9.75MM)
F Daniel Sprong (Detroit, one year, $2MM)
F Alexander True (Florida, one year, $775K)

Much like Dunn, thanks to increased playing time with the upstart Kraken organization, Soucy was able to turn his career around in Seattle. Becoming one of the more unheralded two-way defensemen in the NHL, Soucy would regularly use his body to make important hits during the game and spend plenty of time on the Kraken penalty kill. The loss of Soucy shouldn’t slow down Seattle, however, as the acquisition of Dumoulin should offset much of the lost value.

The Kraken did lose three key middle-six forwards in Donato, Geekie, and Sprong, but the team should once again recoup a lot of the lost value with the acquisition of Yamamoto, and a full season from both Eeli Tolvanen and Shane Wright. As far as departures go for most cap-strapped playoff teams, the Kraken will leave this summer relatively unscathed.

Salary Cap Outlook

With only a little over $900K in cap space to work with for the regular season, the Kraken should be able to add one or two depth pieces at this year’s trade deadline, barring any players going on LTIR throughout the season. Next summer, not taking into consideration the eventual increase to the upper limit of the salary cap, the team will have approximately $23.7MM coming off of the books.

A good chunk of that money should go to contract extensions for both Beniers and Alexander Wennberg, with the team having the option to bring back Tolvanen, Yamamoto, Justin Schultz, and Jordan Eberle as well.

Key Questions

Can The Team Rely On Its Current Goaltending? As well as Philipp Grubauer played in the playoffs last year, the regular season was currently not as kind to him. Throughout the regular season, even on a team that won 46 games in the regular season, Grubauer would post a record of 17-14-4, carrying a SV% of .895 and a GAA of 2.85. These are not horrible numbers by any means, but the Kraken should be expecting more from a goaltender they have to pay $5.9MM a season for the next four years. If Grubauer can continue last year’s playoff performance into this year’s regular season, Seattle will be very comfortable with their goaltending situation. However, if Grubauer is not able to string along his successes, the Kraken do not have much in the way of internal solutions to shore up their goaltending.

Will This Team Make The Playoffs? Although not having a poor team on paper last season, few would have expected Seattle to make the playoffs out of the Western Conference. This season, with raised expectations, they are once again due for a bloodbath in the West. They will have plenty of problems in their own division, as the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings are some of the most dangerous teams in the sport, and the Calgary Flames appear poised for some rejuvenation after last year’s disappointment. In the Central Division, the Kraken shouldn’t have to worry about the Avalanche or the Dallas Stars in the wild-card race but should face some competition from both the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets. It’s once again difficult to project the Kraken as one of the three divisional locks in the Pacific, so they will likely once again be locked into a tight wild-card race.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Notes: Canadiens, Ehlers, Barlow, Smith

September 22, 2023 at 6:30 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 3 Comments

After losing 167 games to injury last season, CapFriendly reports that the Montreal Canadiens have officially activated Cole Caufield, Sean Monahan, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Arber Xhekaj from the injured reserve today. All four returning players are favorable for the Canadiens, each providing value in their own way, but Montreal has some serious work to do in cutting down its roster at the end of training camp. With Caufield, Monahan, and Slafkovsky officially back in the mix, the Canadiens have approximately 17 forwards ready for NHL minutes, give or take a few. There is still plenty of time for General Manager Kent Hughes to make a move or two to thin out the roster, but Montreal realistically will have to use the waiver wire at the beginning of the season to make the necessary room. Caufield, being the most significant return for the Canadiens, is poised for another stellar season, especially in the goal-scoring department. Finishing 26th in total scoring during the 2022-23 NHL season, none of the blame should be put on Caufield. Last year, only playing in 46 total games before shoulder surgery ended his season early, scored 26 goals, a 46-goal pace over a full season. Other injury notes:

The Winnipeg Jets will have to wait a bit longer to get one of its best players and one of its best prospects back on the ice for training camp. In a report from Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, head coach of the Jets, Rick Bowness states that forward Nikolaj Ehlers will miss this weekend’s on-ice sessions due to neck spasms, and recently signed 2023 first-round pick, Colby Barlow, would skate in limited action due to an undisclosed illness. Bowness relays that neither player is expected to miss significant time.
Amongst the longer-term injury news from the day, the Anaheim Ducks have announced via a press release that prospect Konnor Smith will miss between two-four weeks due to a fractured hand, an injury he sustained during the Rookie Faceoff tournament. Smith was the Ducks’ fourth-round pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, recently playing for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, scoring three goals and 12 assists in 65 games last year.

Minor Transactions: 09/22/23

September 22, 2023 at 4:15 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

It’s another busy day across the world of pro hockey, both in North America where NHL training camps are fully underway and in Europe, where the top pro leagues are fully into their regular season. Today’s slate of games featured some major contests, highlighted by an upset 5-2 win by Cologne on the road against the reigning DEL champions, Munich. Over in Finland, former University of Vermont star netminder Stefanos Lekkas enjoyed a stellar start to his Liiga career, guiding KalPa Kuopio to a shutout victory over Lukko Rauma.

The action happening on the ice all around the world of hockey is mirrored by the action on the transaction wire. As always, we’ll keep track of notable moves here.

Former Calgary Flames prospect Jack Beck, who did not sign an entry-level first with the Flames before the team’s exclusive rights expired June 1st, has been traded in the OHL. The Soo Greyhounds have acquired Beck, 20, for a 2026 second-round pick and 2027 third-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection. Beck was a sixth-round pick of the Flames at the 2021 draft, selected there despite the OHL not holding a 2020-21 campaign. Beck scored 12 goals and 53 points for the Ottawa 67’s last season, and scored 12 points in 11 playoff games.
Longtime South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Andrew Cherniwchan announced his retirement from pro hockey today. Cherniwchan has the third-most games played all-time for the Stingrays, and served as their captain for three seasons. He’s a one-time ECHL All-Star who has quite a few long playoff runs to remember in South Carolina, and although Cherniwchan did not end up making it to the NHL he does have nearly 200 AHL games on his resume.
2018 Philadelphia Flyers sixth-round pick Gavin Hain has found a landing spot to turn pro, signing a one-year ECHL deal with the Iowa Heartlanders. The former USNTDP pivot has spent the last half-decade with the University of North Dakota. He took a real step forward in his senior year, scoring a career-high 11 goals and 18 points in 36 games. The number-one pick of the 2016 USHL Futures Draft will have a chance to establish himself in pro hockey with a Heartlanders franchise still looking for its first-ever winning season.
Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Filip Berglund extended his contract with the SHL’s Örebro Hockey for three additional seasons. The 26-year-old rearguard was the 91st overall pick at the 2016 draft by the Oilers, selected after a strong draft season that saw him post 41 points in 43 games at the J20 level for Skellefteå AIK. He led Swedish junior hockey in scoring by a blueliner, and went on to play as an SHL regular for a half-decade. In 2020, Berglund signed an entry-level deal with the Oilers and spent the second year of the deal, 2021-22, in the AHL. He skated in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors and helped them reach the playoffs, but didn’t register a goal and only totaled six regular-season points. He returned to Sweden for 2022-23, joining Örebro, where he’ll now remain for a few more years after helping the team on a deep SHL playoff run in his debut campaign.
Colorado Avalanche fans may recognize the name of Sami Aittokallio, a netminder who appeared in two games for the club and was a fourth-round pick of the team in 2010. Since leaving the North American pro circuit for the 2015-16 campaign, Aittokallio has had a solid career overseas, and today he found a team to suit up for, at least for the next two weeks. Liiga’s JYP has signed him to a two-week contract, set to last for the duration of an injury suffered by incumbent starter Veini Vehviläinen. Aittokallio spent the last two years playing in Germany, posting a stellar .923 save percentage for the Bietigheim Steelers, who were at the time a newly promoted DEL club. But last season, Aittokallio went 5-20-0 as Bietigheim were relegated to DEL2, a circumstance that may have contributed to the fact that he’s now signing a short-term deal rather than a full-time job to play as a starting goalie.
Former Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo captain Anton Shenfeld has signed a one-year contract with the KHL’s Chinese club, Kunlun Red Star. Shenfeld is coming off a difficult 2022-23 season, one where he scored just three points in 28 games playing in Siberia for Sibir Novosibirsk. He was once a quality top-six forward for both Novgorod and Tolyatti Lada, and the hope for the Red Star is likely that he’ll find a way to recapture some of that form.
Sergei Boikov, a former Colorado Avalanche defensive prospect, has signed a two-year KHL contract with HC Avangard Omsk. The club acquired his sporting rights from Dynamo Moscow in exchange for monetary compensation. Boikov has been a regular on Moscow’s blueline for the last three seasons, skating in a total of 123 games for the club. He hasn’t scored very much (he has just 17 career KHL points) but offers decent size, physicality, and some championship experience. (Boikov won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup with the Colorado Eagles in 2017)
Alexander Karachun has established himself as a quality DEL scorer over the past two years with the Schwenninger Wild Wings, totaling 25 points in 37 games last season. The club has announced that Karachun has extended his contract through 2025 with the team, meaning he’ll be able to help in the Wild Wings’ fight to keep its place in the DEL through 2025. Karachun wasn’t always a success in the DEL, and he struggled to put points on the board earlier in his career with the Wolfsburg Grizzlies. But an above-point-per-game season in the DEL2 launched him back into the DEL, and he hasn’t looked back, helping the Wild Wings stave off relegation for the past two seasons.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Injury Notes: Hartman, Verhaeghe, Jenner

September 22, 2023 at 3:00 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 4 Comments

Ryan Hartman’s performance in the 2023-24 season is of massive importance for both the Minnesota Wild and Hartman himself. The 29-year-old American forward is on an expiring $1.7MM cap hit, and is coming off of an uneven campaign. Due to his affordable cap hit and the Wild’s relative lack of center options, Hartman has at times been thrust into a first-line center role for the Wild, something he may have to do once again this season.

The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Hartman, who is still working his way back from an upper-body injury, was on the ice today at Wild camp but still isn’t facing the rigors of contact drills. After playing in all 82 games during 2021-22, Hartman only managed 59 in 2022-23. Hartman’s health is going to be something to monitor for Wild fans hoping to see their club get off to a fast start, as if he’s healthy he has in the past been an impactful, productive top-six player.

Some other injury updates:

CapFriendly relays word that Florida Panthers sniper Carter Verhaeghe is out day-to-day with muscle tightness, and is “expected to be fine for start of season.” After scoring 42 goals and 73 points last season Verhaeghe cemented his place as one of the Panthers’ most important players. The Panthers are looking to make the playoffs in an Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference that figures to be fiercely competitive, so the team will have to hope that their leading goal scorer will be back to 100% by opening night in October.
Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner left practice yesterday due to an injury, but according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, returned to the ice today. That’s important news for Columbus, who is likely to rely on Jenner heavily not only as their most experienced center, but also as a crucial leader and potential mentor to number-three pick Adam Fantilli. Fantilli began training camp centering Alexandre Texier and Patrick Laine. Playing as a top-six center is one of the most difficult jobs in the NHL, especially for a rookie, so it will be crucial that Jenner remains healthy in order to help manage the pressure that ends up placed on Fantilli’s shoulders.

Devon Toews Wants To Finish Career In Colorado

September 22, 2023 at 1:12 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 10 Comments

The Athletic’s Peter Baugh recently shared that defender Devon Toews expressed interest in staying with the Colorado Avalanche through the end of his career. However, Toews also mentioned that he doesn’t want contract extension talks to continue into the regular season.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman weighed in on this in the recent 32 Thoughts podcast, sharing that, in his experiences, whether negotiations carry into the season or not can be a good indicator of how close the team and player are. Friedman said, “We’ll see how long they continue to try. If they don’t negotiate into the season that says to me they aren’t close.”

The Avalanche acquired Toews in a 2020 trade with the New York Islanders, sending second-round picks in the 2021 and 2022 NHL Drafts. New York kept the latter pick, drafting Calle Odelius, but traded the former selection to the Arizona Coyotes along with a slew of picks to incentivize Arizona to take Andrew Ladd. Arizona used the pick to select J.J. Moser, who has already appeared in 125 games with the NHL club.

Toews has been a stout part of Colorado’s defense since 2020, recording 138 points in 199 regular season games with the Avs. He also factored heavily into the team’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, ranking second among the team’s defensemen in scoring with 15 points in 20 games. He also averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game during the Cup run, confidently cemented on the team’s top line.

Toews’ current cap hit is $4.1MM and, as Friedman mentions, there’s a good chance that he could make more if he were to go to the open market. Toews’ interest seems to be firm with Colorado but if contract talks stall during the season, there’s no telling where Toews may end up.

Snapshots: Stamkos, Backlund, International Games

September 22, 2023 at 11:51 am CDT | by Gabriel Foley 8 Comments

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on his 32 Thoughts podcast that the Tampa Bay Lightning “wouldn’t be crushed” if Steven Stamkos didn’t sign an extension with the team. This comes in the wake of a surprising lack of discussion around Stamkos’ next contract, with the veteran center saying he was disappointed the team didn’t reach out this summer.

While the front office might not mind a Stamkos departure, Lightning fans may have a different stance. Stamkos has played all of his 1003 career NHL games with Tampa, netting 515 goals and 1056 points along the way. His performances have led him to two Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies and a spot on the Hart Trophy ballot seven times, including being the runner-up to Evgeni Malkin’s Hart win in 2012. Stamkos even won the Mark Messier Leadership Award just last year. All of these accolades sit beside two Stanley Cup wins in Stamkos’ theoretical hardware cabinet, making it clear why his departure would be harder to stomach than these reports describe. Still capable of scoring over 30 goals and 80 points, Stamkos will be a luxury addition to any team in the league, if his time with the Lightning really is counting down.

Other notes from around the league:

Elliotte Friedman also spoke to Mikael Backlund’s contract situation on the 32 Thoughts podcast, sharing that talks may be tied to the idea that Backlund is Calgary’s natural leader. Friedman said, “I think the players believe that Backlund is the true captain of the team, and I’m sure the organization is not blind to it.” This could be the spark that ignites talks between Backlund and the Flames, two sides that haven’t come together yet.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski spoke to the NHL’s hope (article behind paywall) to build on the momentum brought on by the Australian pre-season games. More specifically, the league is considering holding an outdoor game in Mexico City. There have been, or are scheduled to be, 42 regular-season NHL games played outside of North America. Playing a game in Mexico would bring the total number of countries the NHL has played in up to 10 (USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Australia, Denmark, Japan, Great Britain, Mexico*).

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

September 22, 2023 at 10:15 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 35 Comments

Training camps are drawing ever closer, but that doesn’t mean the news cycle is slowing down. An unexpected head coaching change late in the summer dominated storylines over the weekend, while the Colorado Avalanche moved to pick up one of the few impact free agents left on the market a few days before.

With those moves in the rearview mirror, it’s time for another edition of our mailbag. Our last one ran in two parts. Edition one looked at how teams view the goaltending position in the wake of Vegas’ tandem approach that led to a championship, candidates for a breakout season in 2023-24 and the value of Pierre-Luc Dubois’ long-term extension in Los Angeles. Edition two covered some recent high-value trades, puzzling summer moves and the rebound potential for the Stars’ former elite duo of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

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