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Maple Leafs Notes: Tavares, Marner, Hakanpaa

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John Tavares’ concession of the captaincy today doesn’t mean he’ll be phased out of the Maple Leafs’ leadership group entirely, general manager Brad Treliving told reporters (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Tavares will serve as an alternate captain this season, exactly as he did during his first campaign with the club in 2018-19.

The rest of Toronto’s leadership group outside of Tavares and star goal-scorer Auston Matthews, who’s taken the reins as the franchise’s 26th captain, has yet to be determined, Treliving said. One of the Leafs’ two alternate slots last season was held by defenseman Morgan Rielly, the team’s longest-tenured player. The other was split between Matthews and Mitch Marner. While Reilly will likely reprise the alternate role that he’s held since 2016, it’s unclear whether they’ll make Marner a full-time alternate, name another player for him to split duties with, or strip him of the ’A’ entirely as he enters the final season of his contract without an extension.

The last player outside the quartet mentioned above to wear a letter for the Leafs was defender Jake Muzzin, who was a part-time alternate during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

There’s more from the Maple Leafs:

  • Speaking of Marner, the maligned winger had ex-teammate Zach Bogosian go to bat for him on a Tuesday episode of “The Cam & Strick Podcast.” Bogosian, who was a member of the Toronto squad that was upset by the Canadiens in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, called Marner “a good leader” and said that “he’s always trying to take care of everyone around the locker room.” Marner ended last season on an exceptionally disappointing note, limited to a goal and two assists in Toronto’s seven-game exit at the hands of the Bruins in the first round. “I’ve played with a lot of guys; he is as good of a person and a teammate as I’ve ever seen,” Bogosian continued. “A lot of people give him s**t about this and that and we haven’t done this, and it’s, like, well, he’s trying everything.“
  • During his media availability today, Treliving had no update when asked about the contractual status of defenseman Jani Hakanpaa (via Alter). He reportedly inked the stay-at-home Finn to a two-year, $3MM contract on July 1, but the deal still hasn’t been officially registered with the league. He’s still recovering from a knee ailment that sidelined him for the last few weeks of the season and the entirety of the Stars’ run to the Western Conference Final. The Leafs are still “working through” making him an official member of the club, but Treliving had no comment beyond that.

International Notes: Mendel, Petrovsky, Bellerive

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Free agent defenseman Griffin Mendel is considering a move to Czechia’s Rytiri Kladno after failing to land a qualifying offer from the Hurricanes earlier this summer, sources tell Elite Prospects.

Mendel, 25, spent most of last season on loan to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves after signing a two-way contract with Carolina in July 2023. Undrafted, Mendel played four seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Denver and played a fifth year for Quinnipiac before turning pro on an AHL deal with the Wolves in 2022. He impressed enough in his first professional season, playing in all 72 regular-season games alongside Carolina’s prospects and recording 19 points, to earn his first NHL pact.

But Mendel slipped out of an everyday role with the Wolves last season. The 6’6″, 220-lb defender was limited to 44 appearances, recording two goals, six assists, eight points, 35 PIMs, and a -9 rating. He spent a brief time on assignment to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals, with whom the Hurricanes had a working agreement last season, posting six points and a +3 rating in eight games there.

Without much of a path to NHL time, he’ll look to carve out a role overseas. In doing so, he may join the long list of players to suit up alongside Jaromir Jagr professionally. The 52-year-old will return to Kladno for his eighth straight season since leaving the NHL in 2017. It’ll mark Jagr’s 37th straight season playing professionally, likely to last as a record for quite some time.

More updates from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean:

  • Former Wild forward prospect Servac Petrovsky has found a safety net for this season with Czechia’s Bili Tygri Liberec, where the club says he’s been participating in training camp and preseason on a tryout basis. Petrovsky, 20, was a sixth-round pick of Minnesota in 2022 but became a free agent in June after failing to land an entry-level contract following the close of his junior career with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. He might still have an opportunity to land an NHL contract, though, as the Czech club noted he’ll be attending rookie camp with the Utah Hockey Club in hopes of earning a deal. If he doesn’t, though, Liberec confirmed they’ll sign him for 2024-25. Petrovsky had 55 points in 57 games with Owen Sound last season and was electric at the 2024 World Juniors for his native Slovakia, leading them in scoring with five goals and four assists in five games.
  • After a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign, AHL mainstay Jordy Bellerive is continuing his career overseas with Sweden’s AIK, the club announced in a press release. The 25-year-old forward began last season on a contract with the Flyers’ affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but was traded twice during the season and ended up logging time with the San Jose Barracuda and the Syracuse Crunch. Once an undrafted free agent signing by the Penguins, Bellerive struggled to produce with just 12 points in 59 games across the three clubs. He hasn’t been affiliated with an NHL club since being non-tendered by Pittsburgh in 2022.

Summer Synopsis: Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins have had a lot of regular-season success over the past few years, but it hasn’t translated into a lengthy playoff run. They’ve managed to stay in contention despite a bevy of on-ice personnel losses and re-tooled this summer, signing some lucrative long-term contracts with top-tier free agents. With an aging core that knows how to win, Boston has elected to run it back again over the next few seasons and should be formidable when the puck drops on the regular season this fall.

Draft

1-25: C Dean Letourneau, St. Andrews College (High-ON)
4-110: D Elliott Groenewold,  Cedar Rapids (USHL)
5-154: C Jonathan Morello, St. Michaels (OJHL)
6-186: D Loke Johansson, AIK Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)

The Bruins didn’t have much of an opportunity to re-stock the prospect cupboards at this year’s NHL entry draft, however, they did manage to snag a first-round pick in the Linus Ullmark trade which they promptly used to draft the towering Letourneau. The Ottawa Valley native played prep school hockey in Ontario this past season and led St. Andrew’s with 61 goals and 66 assists in 56 games. Scouts sometimes have difficulty assessing prep school hockey players relative to their peers. Still, given Letourneau’s size and length, it was hard for the Bruins to pass on a player who looks like a prototypical Boston player.

Boston selected the 18-year-old Groenewold in the fourth round of the draft after he appeared in 57 games for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL last season. The 200-pound, 6-foot-2 defenseman is committed to Quinnipiac University for next season and will look to continue developing his game as a defensive defenseman. Groenewold is a player who could give Boston a real defensive presence on their back end, as he is effective at clearing the area around his crease and is known to win puck battles in the defensive zone.

A fifth-round pick. Morello was a point-a-game player in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (57 points in 50 games). However, his playoffs were different, as he tallied 12 goals and nine assists in 11 games. Some scouts believe he could be just scratching the surface, while others wonder if he has an NHL role. Boston likely views Morello as a project, but given his solid skating and size, he was worth a roll of the dice in the fifth round.

Trade Acquisitions

F Mark Kastelic (Ottawa)
G Joonas Korpisalo (Ottawa)
C Vinni Lettieri (Minnesota)

Boston had to move on from Ullmark this summer but was likely hoping to avoid taking back a lousy goalie contract, precisely what they did. Boston acquired Korpisalo for Ullmark but did get him at a reduced rate for the next four seasons ($3MM AAV), which could be an okay contract if the 30-year-old can return to the form he showed during the 2022-23 season. Korpisalo has always been a talented netminder and a great athlete, however, he’s never been able to maintain consistency through a long stretch which is why he’s out of Ottawa one year into a five-year deal.

Boston also received Kastelic in the Ullmark trade. The 6’4” forward could be a solid fourth-line contributor for Boston going forward but shouldn’t be someone they count on for offense. Kastelic has been effective in the faceoff circle during his short NHL career (56.3%) and has no issue finishing his checks. He’s also very sound defensively, using his frame and reach to disrupt the opponents’ offensive sequences. With all that being said, Kastelic has primarily been a non-factor offensively throughout his NHL career and even last season, he ranked 323rd among NHL forwards who played more than 200 minutes at 5v5.

Lettieri struggled through injuries and inconsistency last season in Minnesota and could be a bounce-back candidate in Boston. He can skate and has a good set of hands, but his confidence appeared shattered with the Wild, and he spent a good chunk of last year in the AHL. If Boston can insulate him, they might be able to get more of him next year. However, they might also see an opportunity to have him start the season in Providence to try and get him on the right track.

UFA Signings

F Max Jones (two-year, $2MM)
F Cole Koepke (one-year, $775K)*
F Elias Lindholm (seven-year, $54.25MM)
D Jordan Oesterle (two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Billy Sweezey (two-year, $1.55MM)*
F Riley Tufte (one-year, $775K)*
F Jeffrey Viel (two year, $1.55MM)*
D Nikita Zadorov (six-year, $30MM)

* denotes a two-way contract

Boston’s two big moves in the free agent market were Lindholm and Zadorov, but they also added some depth with the Jones signing. Boston recognized they had a hole down the middle, which Lindholm should be able to fill going forward. Lindholm’s two-way play should give the Bruins a big boost and allow them to move Pavel Zacha back to the wing and provide better balance to their top 6. He should be able to find a way to make Boston’s forward group better both offensively and defensively and elevate his talented linemates in the process.

Zadorov has been around the NHL for a long time and struggled to find stability for most of it. However, once he found a consistent role, he became a physical presence that could clear the crease and take care of business in the defensive zone. Zadorov has problems when he overplays the puck or gets lost in the defensive zone. Boston will likely have the 29-year-old paired with Charlie McAvoy, which means Zadorov can defer most of the puck-carrying to his partner. However, he will be defensively in many precarious positions when McAvoy takes chances.

RFA Re-Signings

G Brandon Bussi (one-year, $775K)*
D Michael Callahan (one-year, $775K)*
C Marc McLaughlin (one-year, $775K)*
D Ian Mitchell ((one-year, $775K)*)*
D Alec Regula (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Boston’s biggest RFA signing has yet to happen but should occur in the not-too-distant future, as Jeremy Swayman is clearly Boston’s goalie of the future. Most of Boston’s work in the RFA market was locking down depth pieces, which may or may not factor into the NHL roster this season.

Bussi figures to at least challenge for the Bruins’ backup goaltender position, which is unlikely to be handed to Korpisalo given his struggles last season. Bussi is a solid young netminder who might require more seasoning in the AHL but does forecast as an NHL backup. He is of good size and aggressive in the net, but he can be guilty of overcommitting to shooters and likely needs to figure out how to rein that in before he finds full-time NHL duties.

Mitchell remains an intriguing option for the Bruins on the back end. He is an excellent skater and gets around the ice quickly. He also controls the puck well and has a great pass. The downside for Mitchell is that he is undersized and does get beat in a lot of puck battles. He also loses battles in front of the net, which can lead to some nightmares in the defensive zone.

Departures

F Joey Abate (unsigned UFA)
F Jesper Boqvist (Florida, one-year, $775K)
F Jake DeBrusk (Vancouver, seven-year, $38.5MM)
D Derek Forbort (Vancouver, one-year, $1.5MM)
D Matt Grzelcyk (Pittsburgh, one-year, $2.75MM)
F Danton Heinen (Vancouver, two-year, $4.5MM)
G Kyle Keyser (signed in KHL)
F Jakub Lauko (traded to Minnesota)
F Milan Lucic (unsigned UFA)
F Pat Maroon (Chicago, one-year, $1.3MM)
C Jayson Megna (signed in AHL Colorado)
D Dan Renouf (signed in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Anthony Richard (Philadelphia, two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Kevin Shattenkirk (unsigned UFA)
C Oskar Steen (signed in Sweden)
G Linus Ullmark (traded to Ottawa)
F James van Riemsdyk (unsigned UFA)
D Reilly Walsh (Los Angeles, one-year, $775K)*
F Daniel Winnik (retired)

* denotes a two-way contract

Boston’s departures were essentially depth players who had either signed short-term deals recently or had been drafted or signed out of college and didn’t factor into the Bruins’ future. That being said, the departures of DeBrusk and Ullmark are sure to be felt this season, especially if Lindholm starts slow or Swayman struggles in the full-time starter role.

On the backend, Forbort and Grzelcyk struggled last season and needed a blank slate in another uniform, which should open the door for new faces to take up roles on the blue line. Zadorov will fill Grzelcyk’s old role, and depending on Mitchell’s development, he could also take up a spot on Boston’s defense. Boston’s defense core remains strong, and given the poor play of both Forbort and Grzelcyk last season, their departures shouldn’t be much of a loss.

Where Boston could feel the pinch is the loss of some of their depth scoring, mainly Heinen, DeBrusk and van Riemsdyk, who all contributed offensively last season and outperformed their cap hits. Heinen notched 17 goals and 19 assists last season in 74 games while playing for the league minimum of $775K, while JVR made $1MM for putting up 38 points in 71 games. DeBrusk played on a $4MM cap hit last year and had a disappointing regular season with just 19 goals and 21 assists in 80 games. However, he elevated his game in the playoffs, tallying 11 points in 13 games to lead the Bruins in postseason scoring. That kind of cheap depth scoring is hard to come by, and it could come back to bite Boston this season if their top two lines go on any cold streak.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Bruins are entering August with just over $8.6MM in projected cap space which looks like a luxury at this late stage of the summer, however, Boston’s most pressing issue remains as they’ve yet to lock up starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Boston spent liberally this summer on the free agent market, but it shouldn’t prohibit them from retaining their core in the future. Boston has most of its critical pieces locked up aside from Brad Marchand (and Swayman), who will be a UFA next summer. The Bruins likely looked at their aging roster and long-term contract structure and saw their position as an opportunity to load up without worrying too much about future cap issues.

Key Questions

Can Swayman Be A Full-Time Starter? Swayman has proven over the last few seasons that he is a very talented netminder. However, he has done so while being complimented by another goaltender who is among the best in the league at the position. Now, with Ullmark in Ottawa, the net is Swayman’s, and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his incredible numbers in the future, especially now that he’s the bonafide number-one goalie. The 25-year-old played in a career-high 44 games last season for Boston, and while his numbers did dip a little bit, he was still rock solid for the Bruins. With Ullmark gone, it is conceivable that the Anchorage, Alaska native will play somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-60 games, which will undoubtedly test his endurance and durability.

Will The New Pieces Fit? Boston shelled out a lot of money for Lindholm and Zadorov, and there is no guarantee that they will fit despite their extensive body of work in the NHL. Lindholm wasn’t a perfect fit in Vancouver and struggled at times after the trade from Calgary. Zadorov has bounced around the NHL during his career before finding stability in Calgary. Both players are certainly upgrades for the Bruins, but they come with some risk. Boston gambled that they are the right fit, and it will undoubtedly make for a compelling storyline if either player has a slow start after signing lucrative free-agent deals.

Can Charlie Coyle Replicate Last Season’s Success?  Coyle had a career-high 60 points last season, but he isn’t that far removed from a 16-point campaign with the Boston Bruins during the shortened 2020-21 season. Two years before that, Coyle had just two goals and four assists in 21 games during a shortened 2018-19 season. Coyle has had wild different seasons throughout his career, but last year, he stepped up after the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, which allowed Boston to continue to be a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. While there is little reason to believe his play will fall off a cliff at 32 years old, there is reason to believe that he could take a step back from the best year of his professional career. As mentioned earlier, Coyle’s numbers have been wildly different from year to year, and if he can’t get back to last year’s numbers, it could be a very different outcome for him next season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Kuznetsov, Oilers, Rosen, Aman

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Calgary Flames defenseman Yan Kuznetsov believes that he will take a big step in his development this upcoming season and is hoping a change to his training will allow him to do so (as per Flames writer Chris Wahl). The 22-year-old was re-signed to a one-year, two-way deal by the Flames yesterday after making his NHL debut last season, dressing in one game for Calgary. The former second-round pick believes that he is entering next season in the best shape of his career and is hoping that by being in tune with his body it will better allow him to use his size to his advantage as he pushes for an NHL roster spot with the Flames.

In other news from around the NHL:

  • Edmonton Oilers announcer Bob Stauffer tweeted about the Oilers’ current offer sheet conundrum with defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway. The Oilers are currently on the clock after the St. Louis Blues issued a pair of offer sheets and have one week to match the offers or lose the players for draft pick compensation. Stauffer outlines in his tweet that if the Oilers elect to match the lucrative offer sheets, they will have to keep Broberg and Holloway for at least a year, which could be challenging given that they will need to issue lucrative extensions to Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard next summer.
  • The MSG Network has announced that New York Rangers television play-by-play broadcaster Sam Rosen will retire after the upcoming NHL season. The 77-year-old is entering his 40th year calling Rangers games full-time after he began calling New York games on the radio for MSG, filling in for Marv Albert. He then pivoted to becoming MSG’s studio host before moving into his current role as the Rangers’ primary television broadcaster in 1984.
  • Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin spoke with Swedish network hockeysverige.se about Nils Åman and the contract extension he gave the center this past season. The 24-year-old signed a two-year deal worth $825K per season and proceeded to post three goals and four assists in 43 NHL games this past year. Allvin mentioned that he was impressed by Åman’s finish to the season and felt that he had become more assertive on the ice and played with more of an edge. Allvin added that he was hopeful that Åman would continue to develop this summer and build off the success he had in the second half.

Canadian Notes: Matthews, Konyushkov, Lekkerimäki

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The Toronto Maple Leafs began discussions of changing captains around the time of this season’s exit interviews, following the team’s perennial first-round loss to the Boston Bruins, shared TSN’s Chris Johnston on SportsCentre. Johnston added that conversations continued through the summer until John Tavares reached a point where he was comfortable handing off the leadership role to Auston Matthews. A formal announcement is expected to come on Wednesday morning.

Matthews – the undisputed star of the modern Leafs – will adorn the ’C’ after serving five seasons as one of the team’s alternate captains. He received that honor ahead of his fourth season in the NHL, after posting 111 goals and 205 points through his first 212 career games, including the NHL’s first 40-goal rookie season since Alex Ovechkin managed 52 in 2006. He’s reached even greater heights since donning a letter, scoring 60 goals in 2021-22 and 69 goals this season – becoming just the eighth NHLer to break the 60-goal ceiling more than once. He’ll look to continue stamping his place among the NHL’s legends with another boost of confidence from the Toronto brass – taking over the chair of leader in a year of changes for the Leafs, headlined by Craig Berube’s hiring as head coach.

Other notes from across the Great North:

  • The Montreal Canadiens haven’t had much contact with defense prospect Bogdan Konyushkov since his fourth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, instead leaving him in the capable hands of Igor Larionov, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and the head coach of the KHL’s HC Torpedo, where Konyushkov has played since 2022. The player summed up his current state of affairs to Daria Tuboltseva of Russian news outlet Responsible Gaming, saying, “We don’t communicate with Montreal very often. I spoke with the Russian scout after the season once, we just chatted, and they asked me how my season went.” He continued by speaking on a shoulder injury that required surgery after the season. Konyushkov still managed a commendable 28 points in 65 games despite injury and even served as Torpedo’s captain, despite being only 21-years-old. He’s a promising player with exciting years ahead, though he’s shared he’ll first play out the remaining two years on his KHL contract.
  • Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin had a productive sit down with David Quadrelli of the Canucks Army where he, among other things, shared that the team doesn’t want to rush top propsect Jonathan Lekkerimäki. Allvin said, “It will be interesting to see [Lekkerimäki] at camp when everything kicks off. After that, it’s up to him where he will end up… We need to respect his age and experience as well, so there’s no rush—when he is physically and mentally ready, Jonathan will show where he wants to be.” Lekkerimäki will be one of many Canucks prospects vying for a top role after winning the SHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award last season with 31 points in 46 games.

Tampa Bay Lightning Begin Sale Process

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Jeff Vinik’s 14-year tenure as majority owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning could soon come to an end as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shares that Tampa Bay has begun a multi-stage process to sell the team. Friedman adds that the sale would turn ownership over to Doug Ostrover, co-CEO of Blue Owl Capital and a minority partner of the ownership group that recently purchased the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

Ostrover will pay a pretty penny for Tampa Bay’s majority reign, with Friedman also sharing that the sale values the Lightning franchise at close to $2B – roughly double the price paid in the NHL’s most recent, record-breaking sale: Michael Andlauer’s $950MM purchasing of the Ottawa Senators.

Meanwhile, Vinik will retain both his operational duties with the team and a large stake of ownership. He originally bought the Lightning for $170MM in 2010, amid a desolate time for Tampa Bay fans despite being six years removed from their first Stanley Cup. Vinik quickly cut through the gloom, bringing in an influx of funding and instilling NHL legend Steve Yzerman as the club’s general manager. It was Yzerman who commanded Tampa’s surge back to the top of the NHL, on the back of head coach hires Guy Boucher and Jon Cooper and draft-day steals like Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, and Anthony Cirelli. The new construction propelled Tampa Bay to the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, though they’d need a few more years of seasoning – and the handoff of GM duties from Yzerman to Julien BriseBois – before the Lightning could win Cups in 2020 and 2021.

It’s now a summer of change for the Lightning franchise, who also lost franchise icon Steven Stamkos to free agency this summer. They’ve responded to that move with the additions of Jake Guentzel, Cam Atkinson, and Conor Geekie – though Tampa hasn’t yet named Stamkos’ successor as team captain. Vinik’s maintained presence should keep this sale from influencing the on-ice product too much, though it will be a process worth monitoring as Ostrover looks to continue his investment in American sports.

Predators Trade Cody Glass To Penguins

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The Nashville Predators have traded centerman Cody Glass to the Pittsburgh Penguins, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Penguins have confirmed the deal, sharing that they’ve acquired Glass, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for minor-league forward Jordan Frasca.

Glass was the sixth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and the first draft pick for the Vegas Golden Knights franchise, though injuries have kept him from making too much of a big-league impact just yet. Glass scored 22 points in 66 games across two seasons with Vegas, filling a menial role and never doing much to reap the opportunity given to him. The lagging opportunity sparked a 2021 trade to the Nashville Predators, who were much more willing to give Glass a commendable role in the lineup. He vindicated that recognition with 14 goals and 35 points in 72 games during the 2022-23 season. That scoring pace carried into this past season, though one upper-body injury and one lower-body injury were enough to limit Glass to just 13 points and 41 games.

Nashville has quickly filled most of their notable roles on offense with summer additions of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault – and the emergence of depth pieces like Thomas Novak. That’s left Glass on the outside looking in, and now catalysts a move to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he’ll be one of just three forwards under the age of 26. Glass might not get much more lineup certainty with the Penguins, who also added Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte this summer. The crowd created by those additions could inspire Pittsburgh to instead deploy Glass at right-wing, where their depth is shallow behind Bryan Rust. That change would put Glass in a much more manageable competition with Jesse Puljujarvi, Rickard Rakell, and Valtteri Puustinen. Winning that position battle could land Glass a lucrative spot next to Evgeni Malkin – potentially enough to revitalize his former offensive prowess, or so Pittsburgh will hope.

Meanwhile, Frasca will join the Predators organization as minor-league depth. He earned a promotion to the AHL after scoring 33 points in 40 ECHL games last season, though he’s still without a point through 11 career AHL games. Pittsburgh signed Frasca as an undrafted free-agent in 2022, inking him to a three-year, $2.8MM entry-level deal set to expire after next season.

Pennsylvania Notes: Crosby, Drysdale, Bernard, Sedley

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Penguins fans are still waiting on confirmation that Sidney Crosby has signed an extension. Early last month, Rob Rossi of The Athletic reported that a three-year deal in the $10MM AAV range was close to being finalized, but nothing came across the wire. Speculation then ran rampant that he might ink a deal to keep him in Pittsburgh past this season on his birthday, Aug. 7, but that date also came and went without any news.

It’s a situation that has the potential to cast a dark cloud over the Penguins’ season if Crosby remains without a new contract when training camp begins, Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes. “This isn’t good for ticket sales,” Yohe opines. “It’s not good for corporate sponsorships. That lack of buzz around the Penguins right now is deafening, but it grows a little louder every day that passes without Crosby signing a new deal. He’s the Penguins’ heartbeat. He keeps the organization financially stable.”

Aside from the lack of any recent news, there’s no real indication that the relationship between Crosby’s camp and the Penguins’ front office, led by general manager Kyle Dubas, has fractured in the slightest. Both sides have still maintained constant public messaging that signing an extension is their top priority. The 37-year-old is still the team’s most impactful player by a wide margin, coming off a 42-goal, 94-point season in 2023-24.

More notes out of the Keystone State:

  • The Flyers are entering their first full season with defenseman Jamie Drysdale in tow. The 22-year-old defenseman was one half of a blockbuster swap with the Ducks last January, heading to Philly in exchange for the signing rights to 2022 fifth-overall pick Cutter Gauthier. After again struggling to stay in the lineup last season due to injuries, Drysdale enters a make-or-break 2024-25 campaign that will likely set the tone for the rest of his tenure with the Flyers, Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports writes (subscription required).
  • The Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, have signed Xavier Bernard and Sam Sedley to contracts for the 2024-25 campaign, per a team announcement. Bernard, 24, was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2018 but never signed his entry-level contract. He’s spent the past few seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, most recently in the Oilers organization with the Bakersfield Condors and Fort Wayne Komets. He spent nearly all of 2023-24 in the ECHL with Fort Wayne, where the 6’4″ left-shot had 16 points, 92 PIMs and a +23 rating in 64 games. Sedley, meanwhile, is entering his first professional season after five years with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. The 21-year-old had been invited to multiple Flyers rookie camps in the past. The diminutive right-shot defender led Owen Sound defensemen in scoring last year with 63 points in 64 games.

AHL’s San Jose Barracuda Sign Colin White

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The Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, has signed UFA center Colin White to a one-year contract, according to a team press release.

White, a former first-round pick of the Senators who was bought out by Ottawa in 2022, signed a two-way deal with the Penguins last October after attending training camp on a PTO. He was immediately waived and assigned to the AHL for the first time since 2018.

The 27-year-old embarked on a mediocre run with the Penguins’ affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, posting 10 points (5 G, 5 A) in 21 games before Pittsburgh called him up in January. White played 11 games with the Penguins after the call-up but failed to record a point and logged a -2 rating while averaging just 9:57 per game.

White was waived again in late February and claimed by the Canadiens. It was more of the same in Montreal, where he had no points, a -3 rating and averaged just 9:15 per game through 17 appearances. He also struggled immensely in the faceoff dot, winning just 36 of 108 draws (33.3%).

It was no surprise to see White not retained by the Habs, and it’s not too surprising he’s had to settle for a minor-league contract after a difficult run. Since getting bought out by the Sens, White has just eight goals and 15 points in 96 games over the past two years with the Canadiens, Panthers and Penguins. It’s a far cry from the 14 goals, 27 assists and 41 points he scored in 71 games during his rookie campaign with Ottawa in 2018-19, which earned him an ill-fated six-year, $28.5MM contract marred by injuries and declining play.

While White will suit up with the Sharks’ prospects and depth veterans this fall, he can sign with any NHL team should he attract interest. A strong run of play from the No. 21 overall pick in 2015 could land him an NHL deal at some point during the season, but he’d have to clear waivers to return to the minors after doing so. He’ll also likely receive a training camp invite from the Sharks, who could opt to sign him to a two-way contract.

Panthers Notes: Forsling, Samoskevich, Streaming

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Gustav Forsling is 2024’s recipient of the Guldpucken, awarded by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association to the top Swedish player of the year, regardless of whether they’re playing at home or abroad. The 28-year-old Panthers defenseman led the NHL with a +56 rating and finished ninth in Norris Trophy voting last season.

The award was expanded to include Swedish nationals playing in the NHL in 2015. It’s been awarded by the Swedish governing body and voted on by writers for the Swedish newspaper Expressen since 1956 but was previously only handed out to Swedish Hockey League players.

Forsling is the second defenseman in a row to win the honor after former Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson won it for the third time in 2023. The award has been exclusively given to NHL players since they became eligible. Others to win in the past nine years include Victor Hedman (twice), William Karlsson, Gabriel Landeskog and Robin Lehner.

The Linkoping native has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier two-way threats over the last few seasons, leading Panthers defensemen in points last year with 39 (10 G, 29 A) in 79 games. Forsling, Hedman and Erik Karlsson were the first three defensemen named to Sweden’s roster for next year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

There’s more from the Panthers today:

  • Forward prospect Mackie Samoskevich has changed his representation as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract, joining Brian and Scott Bartlett of Barlett Hockey, per the agency (X link). He was previously represented by Pat Brisson of CAA Sports. The 21-year-old was a first-round pick of Florida in 2021 and made his NHL debut last season, going without a point and posting a -3 rating in seven games. 2023-24 was his first full professional campaign after a pair of seasons at the University of Michigan. On the farm with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, he led the team in scoring with 54 points (22 G, 32 A) in 62 games. He’s a strong candidate to open the season with the cap-strapped Panthers, potentially in a top-nine role.
  • The Panthers are one of the many teams parting ways with the Bally Sports family of regional sports networks, previously announcing they’ll have their games locally produced and distributed on various local stations by Scripps Sports for 2024-25. But for non-TV watchers, the team announced today a “strategic multi-year alliance” with ViewLift to offer a direct-to-consumer streaming platform. ViewLift also runs similar DTC streaming services for the Capitals and Golden Knights.

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