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Senators Sign Max Guenette To Two-Way Extension

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The Senators announced today that they’ve signed defenseman Max Guenette to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The deal carries a $775K cap hit and NHL salary while paying him $120K in the minors next season.

Guenette, 23, is coming off his third season of professional play in the Sens organization, spent almost entirely with AHL Belleville. The 2019 seventh-round pick is on a strong development track, forcing himself into definitive top-four usage over the past few years. He’s been their top offensive option at the minor-league level from the blue line since 2022-23 and led B-Sens defensemen in scoring this season with seven goals, 27 assists and 34 points in 58 games.

While Guenette struggled in AHL postseason action (one assist, -5 rating in seven games), he’s positioned himself as a top recall option and even a dark horse candidate to crack the Sens’ roster out of training camp in the fall if injuries affect a couple of veterans. The Ancienne Lorette, Quebec, native has seen NHL action sparingly the past two years, totaling a -2 rating in eight games while averaging 13:10 per contest. He’s still looking for his first NHL point.

Guenette was headed for restricted free agency this summer after completing his entry-level contract. While he’s no longer entitled to his $55K signing bonus, his new AHL salary is a step up from the $70K he was making last year.

The right-shot defender will be an RFA again when his extension expires in 2025. He becomes the 32nd player signed to a standard player contract with the Sens next season, still far short of the 50-contract limit.

Hurricanes Name Eric Tulsky General Manager

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The Hurricanes have removed the interim tag from Eric Tulsky and made him their next general manager, per a team announcement Tuesday.

“Eric is ready for this opportunity,” said Hurricanes owner and governor Tom Dundon. “He has a proven history of managing people and overseeing operations both outside of hockey and over the last decade with the Hurricanes. His dedication, work ethic and attention to detail make him the ideal candidate to become our next general manager. Everything we do here is collaborative, and Eric will work closely with Darren Yorke, Rod Brind’Amour and our leadership team to continue building a championship-caliber hockey club.”

Tulsky was named the club’s interim GM on May 24. He stepped into the role after Don Waddell, who was on an expiring contract, resigned from his post. Waddell has already found his next place of employment, signing on with the Blue Jackets to be their GM and president of hockey operations days after leaving Carolina.

Tulsky wasn’t the only candidate linked to the Hurricanes’ GM vacancy over the past few weeks, but a report from Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli last week indicated he was likely to take over the top hockey ops job. Earlier this month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman called Jarmo Kekäläinen, whom Waddell replaced in Columbus, a “contender” for the role.

Along with his Kekäläinen report, Friedman added that the Hurricanes were making it clear to interested candidates that their next GM wouldn’t have as much autonomy as others do around the league. Dundon is a proponent of a more collaborative front office environment that elevates the importance of assistant GMs – namely Darren Yorke, whom he mentioned in his statement introducing Tulsky. He’s also involved in hockey operations decisions himself.

That should provide a good safety net for Tulsky, who becomes a top-level member of an NHL front office for the first time. First brought on as a data analyst in 2014, Tulsky later served as the Canes’ director of analytics and their VP of hockey management before being promoted to an AGM role under Waddell in 2020.

Per the team, his responsibilities under Waddell included “all player personnel decisions, [overseeing] pro scouting and the team’s hockey information department.” He also “assisted with player contract negotiations, salary cap compliance, and other hockey-related matters.”

It’s quite a rise for Tulsky, who likely didn’t imagine ever working in the league after graduating from the University of California-Berkeley with a PhD in chemistry in 2002. He first landed his consulting gig with the Hurricanes after publishing public statistical analysis work for a variety of NHL-related blogs in the early 2010s, namely Flyers blog Broad Street Hockey.

Tulsky now officially takes the helm as the Hurricanes enter a potentially transformative offseason with Jake Guentzel, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei among their big-name pending UFAs. He’s already signed one notable deal as interim GM – a three-year, $9MM extension for defenseman Jalen Chatfield.

Friedman was first to report Tulsky’s promotion.

Sharks Showing Trade Interest In Cam Atkinson

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As the Sharks look to add some depth to a league-worst roster, they’re interested in taking on Cam Atkinson from the Flyers for some depth scoring help, TSN’s Darren Dreger writes. A trade could be blocked if Atkinson has San Jose on his 10-team no-trade list, though. That’s likely the case, as sources tell Dreger the veteran winger “isn’t keen on a move to the Sharks.”

Atkinson’s name is popping up frequently in both trade and buyout rumors this summer after a highly disappointing 2023-24 campaign. The Flyers acquired the 5’8″ winger from the Blue Jackets in 2021, but injuries derailed his tenure in Philadelphia after one season. A herniated disc and left tricep surgery sidelined him for all of last season, and he wasn’t the consistent top-six force he’s been in the past upon returning.

He stayed mostly healthy last season – a good sign for the 35-year-old’s long-term quality of life, but his production fell off a cliff. Dressing in 70 games, Atkinson scored 13 goals and 28 points, the first time in his career he’d had under half a point per game. He averaged 15:57 per contest, his lowest usage in 10 years.

While his offense was a disappointment after registering 23 goals and 50 points in a Flyers uniform two years ago, he had good defensive results this season, much like the rest of his surprisingly competitive Flyers squad. Philadelphia controlled 53.7% of expected goals with Atkinson on the ice at even strength, and he was on the ice for roughly 13 fewer expected goals against than in the 2021-22 season in which he played a similar amount of games.

Atkinson is still an NHL-caliber talent, but not one worth his $5.875MM cap hit. As the Flyers look to take another step toward playoff contention next season, he’s a bit of an albatross.

In the seemingly unlikely event he doesn’t block a trade, it would likely take an asset or two to get Atkinson’s deal off the books entirely and over to California. A buyout would still save north of $3.5MM in cap space for the Flyers this season but would result in a $1.75MM cap penalty for 2025-26, per CapFriendly.

For Sharks general manager Mike Grier, taking on bad contracts outright is one of the few ways he can weaponize his rebuilding club’s cap space. He’s used up all three of his salary retention spots in trading away Brent Burns, Tomáš Hertl and Erik Karlsson, so brokering deals as a third party won’t be an option until Burns’ deal comes off the books in 2025.

In San Jose, Atkinson would be a slight upgrade on the declining veteran role played by pending UFA Mike Hoffman this year. Atkinson has a much more solid track record defensively than Hoffman, though, and could help them improve their league-worst goals-against figure. There are also open spots in their top six that could result in Atkinson seeing time with prospective 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini next season.

Evening Notes: Manson, Johnson, Islanders

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson saw a change in his contract on June 15th, 2024, as his full no-trade clause became a modified 12-team no-trade clause (as per CapFriendly).  Manson is entering the third year of his four-year $18MM contract and can now be traded to 19 NHL teams. The change in contract status doesn’t mean that the Avalanche are interested in trading the 32-year-old, but it does give the team options as they try to navigate multiple complex contract situations, while simultaneously trying to extend Jonathan Drouin and potentially address deficiencies in their roster.

Manson enjoyed a bounce-back season last year after an injury-riddled 2022-23 season, he posted eight goals and 17 assists in 76 games and continued to provide sound work in the defensive zone. He remained a good penalty killer with his long reach and mobility.

In other evening notes:

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweeted that the Philadelphia Flyers remain in conversation with pending free-agent defenseman Erik Johnson. Kurz believes that the former first-overall pick intends to keep playing next season and is interested in signing with the Flyers. At 36 years of age, Johnson is not the defenseman he once was, but he can still provide physical play and take care of the defensive zone. He won’t score much, but for a team in need of a veteran in the room, re-signing Johnson might make sense for the Flyers.
  • Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News believes that pending free agent forward Anthony Duclair would be a great fit with the New York Islanders. Rosner doesn’t cite any direct sources from the Islanders organization to link them to Duclair but believes the 28-year-old’s ability to play up and down the lineup would be a huge asset for the Islanders and his previous relationship with Islanders head coach Patrick Roy could factor into the equation. Roy coached Duclair for two years in his junior hockey days and Duclair speaks glowingly of him, calling Roy a mentor. Duclair posted 24 goals and 18 assists last season in 73 games and should have a lot of interest in free agency given his skillset.

Rangers Notes: Toffoli, Trouba, Pacioretty

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Peter Baugh of The Athletic speculated today that the New York Rangers will likely take a long look at free-agent forward Tyler Toffoli. The Rangers apparently considered the 32-year-old at the trade deadline but didn’t pull off a deal and Toffoli was eventually dealt to the Winnipeg Jets. Baugh believes that Toffoli’s new contract will fall into the range of four years at $5MM per season, which would require some salary cap gymnastics from Rangers general manager Chris Drury in order to fit Toffoli in the lineup.

The Scarborough, Ontario native is coming off back-to-back 30-goal seasons and has registered at least 20 goals in each of the last five seasons. Given his age, this is likely Toffoli’s last chance to score a lucrative long-term deal. Toffoli’s first go at unrestricted free agency happened after the 2020 season during the height of the pandemic, where he took a very team-friendly four-year $17MM contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

In other New York Rangers notes:

  • With Rangers captain Jacob Trouba’s no-trade protection changing to a 15-team modified no-trade clause, Baugh speculates as to what the Rangers could get if they elected to trade the 30-year-old. Trouba struggled this season, particularly in the playoffs, however, it’s hard to know how much injuries played a role in his poor play. Trouba has two years left on his contract with an AAV of $8MM, but he is owed just $12MM in total salary over the final two years. Baugh believes that the Rangers could find a trading partner but would likely need to retain salary to facilitate a move or add a sweetener to the deal. One other option would be for the Rangers to take back an undesirable contract from another team.
  • Baugh writes that the Rangers could have a interest in Washington Capitals free agent forward Max Pacioretty. New York inquired about the 35-year-old at the trade deadline, but Pacioretty opted to stay put in Washington and elected not to waive his no-trade clause. Pacioretty has overcome several devasting injuries in the past few years and managed to dress in 47 regular season games for the Capitals last season, tallying four goals and 23 assists. Pacioretty is likely in line for another one-year bonus-laden contract.

Sharks Notes: Sturm, Couture, Celebrini

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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters today that former NHLer Marco Sturm was a candidate for the Sharks head coaching position and the team did engage in conversations with Sturm but added that the 45-year-old was not a finalist for the position (as per Sharks writer Curtis Pashelka).

The veteran of 938 NHL games spent eight seasons with the Sharks from 1997 to 2005 and was dealt to the Boston Bruins as part of the Joe Thornton trade in November 2005. He last played in the NHL in April of 2012 and is the current head coach of the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League. Sturm also spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach from 2018 to 2022

In other San Jose Sharks notes:

  • Mike Grier told reporters that he is not looking at moving veteran forward Logan Couture (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Grier added that Couture is the kind of person he wants around the Sharks younger players. Even if Grier wanted to trade Couture, it would be a difficult move to make as Couture has three years left on his contract with an AAV of $8MM and is coming off an injury-riddled season in which he played just six games and tallied a single assist. Couture also holds a modified no-trade clause that allows him to submit a list of just three teams he would accept a trade to.
  • Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now tweeted that Sharks general manager Mike Grier will meet with prospective first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini’s family and representation after the NHL Entry Draft to talk about whether or not the youngster will turn pro or remain in college for next season. Grier then joked with reporters about showing his hand 11 days before the draft. Miller reported ten days ago that Celebrini had yet to make up his mind about turning pro, but his decision will have a big impact on how the Sharks approach this offseason and whether or not to make immediate improvements to the roster or continue to develop young players and preach patience.

Utah Willing To Move Sixth Overall Pick

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Utah appears to be willing to move their sixth overall pick in this month’s NHL Entry Draft (as per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period). The franchise could open up a lot of trade options if the reports are true, and it would be a departure for general manager Bill Armstrong, as he spent the past few seasons accumulating draft picks year after year while the team was playing in Arizona. The sixth overall pick would hold a lot of value for Utah and could certainly be part of a package to fetch the team a premium asset. For context, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was drafted by the Calgary Flames sixth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

The timing to move the pick makes sense, given that Utah is entering a new market, and a big trade at the draft would create a buzz around the team. They also don’t have to contend with any pending cap crunch as the team is slated to have $43.5MM in cap space (as per CapFriendly) heading into the summer.  Utah also has a deep prospect cupboard and has a ton of draft picks available heading into the next few years. The team has just one first-round pick this year. However, they have 13 total picks in this year’s draft, including three second-round picks and three third-round picks. The team also holds ten picks in next year’s draft, including four second-round picks.

There is no indication as to what Armstrong might do with the pick, and he is a general manager who will go off the board at times and create a surprise. He mentioned a few weeks ago that he wasn’t “in the market for buying 33-year-olds but was looking at 23-year-old players.” If that pattern holds, it’s conceivable to think that Utah could target a younger, established NHL player with the sixth overall pick.

Some of the players who might be available to draft with the sixth overall pick this year (as per Sportsnet’s draft rankings) could be forward Tij Iginla of the Kelowna Rockets (WHL), defenseman Anton Silayev of the KHL, and defenseman Zayne Parekh, of the Saginaw Spirit (OHL).

It is not common to see teams move top-5 draft picks; however, the 6-10 picks have been traded with a lot more frequency. In 2012 the Pittsburgh Penguins dealt Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for Brian Dumoulin, Brandon Sutter and the eighth overall pick, which they used to select Derrick Pouliot. In 2017, the New York Rangers sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Arizona for Tony DeAngelo and the seventh overall, which they used to pick Lias Andersson. Finally, just two years ago, the Ottawa Senators sent the seventh overall pick in 2022, along with a second and fourth round to Chicago for Alex DeBrincat.

Utah Signs Julian Lutz To Entry-Level Contract

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June 17: As they did hours earlier with Noel Nordh, the Utah Hockey Club made Lutz’s signing official Monday.

May 26: Utah made a move today as they signed forward Julian Lutz to a three-year entry-level contract (as per CapFriendly). The native of Weingarten, Germany, was the Arizona Coyotes’ second-round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft (43rd overall) and struggled with injuries in the following season, playing in just 24 games in the DEL with EHC Red Bull München and posting just a single goal and seven assists.

Last year, the 20-year-old made the jump to the United States Hockey League and was dominant in his first season with the Green Bay Gamblers, registering 24 goals and 44 assists in just 50 games and two goals and two assists in six playoff games.

Internationally, Lutz has represented Germany on multiple occasions, including the 2024 World Junior Championships in two separate years, tallying a goal and three assists in ten games. He also represented Germany’s U18 team in the 2021-22 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, posting two goals in four games.

Lutz’s three-year deal will carry a cap hit of $923K and will see him receive $95K in signing bonuses in each of the three years of the deal. His average annual value on the deal is $950K, while the NHL salaries break down as $775K in year one and $855K in years two and three. Lutz will earn $82,500 while playing in the AHL.

Blue Jackets Fire Pascal Vincent

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The Blue Jackets have fired head coach Pascal Vincent, according to a team announcement.

“As I spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I found him to be an outstanding person and smart hockey coach who worked very hard last year under trying circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in our team’s best interest,” reads a statement from general manager Don Waddell. “On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Pascal for his work ethic, professionalism and contributions during his three seasons with the Blue Jackets.”

Vincent’s firing comes after one season at the helm for Columbus, his first as an NHL head coach. During his short tenure, the team went 27-43-12 (.402), although he was never put in a position to succeed. The team had initially tabbed Mike Babcock as their next head coach entering the season after firing Brad Larsen last summer, but Babcock resigned at the beginning of training camp after he was the subject of a joint NHL/NHLPA investigation spurred by allegations that Babcock asked to view phones and/or photographs of several Blue Jackets players.

The Blue Jackets weren’t expected to make the playoffs this season, but they were supposed to take a step forward from 2022-23’s 59-point showing. While they technically improved on that total by seven points, they still finished within the bottom five of the league. A new-look defense featuring offseason acquisitions Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson failed to demonstrate much improvement, allowing 298 goals. Only the Sharks allowed more with 326.

Vincent, 52, joined the Blue Jackets as an associate coach on Larsen’s staff ahead of the 2021-22 season. The move came after spending a decade in the Jets organization, first as an NHL assistant before becoming the head coach of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

The search for a new coach begins immediately, the team said. For now, assistants Jared Boll, Josef Boumedienne, Steve McCarthy, Mark Recchi and goaltending coach Niklas Bäckström remain in their posts, but the team said “further decisions regarding the club’s coaching staff” haven’t yet been made.

At times this season, Vincent drew public criticism for his handling of the development of some of the Blue Jackets’ many young prospects. Chief among most complaints was the lack of playing time for 2022 sixth-overall pick David Jiříček, who suited up in 43 games for Columbus this season but averaged a paltry 14:36 per game with no special team usage. The young blue-liner did well in his limited minutes, posting 10 points, recording 38 shots on goal and posting positive relative possession metrics. Others did have good seasons, namely Kirill Marchenko and his team-leading 23 goals, but overall, their young core didn’t mesh as hoped. A calf laceration that ended 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli’s season in January didn’t help matters.

Under Vincent, the Blue Jackets’ team play improved slightly from last season. They controlled 48.3% of shot attempts, 45.8% of expected goals and 46.9% of scoring chances at 5-on-5. These numbers were better than 2022-23’s by at least a full percentage point, but they were still far away from anything resembling a playoff team.

The Blue Jackets now arrive very late to the coaching search party. All of the vacancies created over the last few months have already been filled, wrapping up with the Sharks promoting Ryan Warsofsky late last week. Accordingly, barring any extremely unforeseen circumstances, Vincent won’t be behind an NHL to begin next season as a head coach. There are still a number of assistant and associate coach vacancies that he should draw interest for, however.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Vincent had been relieved of his duties.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Utah Signs Noel Nordh To Entry-Level Contract

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June 17: The Utah Hockey Club is officially in business, making Nordh’s signing official as the first in franchise history (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN).

May 5: The loom of a summertime move hasn’t stopped the day-to-day affairs of the former Arizona Coyotes front office. Now representing Utah, they’ve signed 2023 third-round pick Noel Nordh to a three-year, entry-level contract, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). The contract carries a $865K cap hit and both signing and performance bonuses. Nordh becomes the 11th player from 2023’s third-round to sign his first NHL contract.

Nordh is coming off his first full season of pro hockey, earning a role in Sweden’s second-tier league, the HockeyAllsvenskan, after starting the season in the country’s U20 league. He was limited to just six goals and 15 points in his 50 appearances with Brynas IF, averaging 9:41 in ice time. While he certainly posted an anti-climactic stat line, Nordh improved significantly in his ability to make plays and work with teammates at high speeds this season.

He’s still a bit of an awkward skater who doesn’t inspire many flashy plays – both complaints levied against him in his draft year – but Nordh fit nicely into Brynas’ systems and showed a clear ability to use his size and long reach to shut down defenders. He seems to have all of the tools needed to develop into a reliable bottom-six forward. Utah now seems ready to test that, signing Nordh to a deal that strongly suggests he’ll be moving to North America next season.

The Coyotes iced 19 different forwards over the 2023-24 season, showing no fear in rewarding minor-league standouts with their NHL debut. That could bode well for Nordh, who will now enter a race with players like Aku Raty, Jan Jenik, and Milos Kelemen for some of the last spots on Utah’s lineup.

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